Takaichi Seeks Overnight Rescue Efforts after Kumamoto Quake

Tokyo, July 28 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has called for overnight rescue efforts after an earthquake registering up to 7, the highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, hit Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday. “The government needs to make all-out efforts to respond to the disaster,” Takaichi told a meeting of an emergency disaster response headquarters set up after the earthquake. “I want relevant officials to work through the night to assess the damage and rescue those affected,” she added. Extensive damage has been confirmed, including collapsed buildings, damaged roads and fires, she said. The prime minister also instructed relevant officials to ensure that those affected receive food, drinking water and other essentials, as well as portable air conditioners and power-supply vehicles, to reduce the risk of heatstroke and secure an “adequate evacuation environment.” “We want people to remain vigilant for earthquakes with a maximum seismic intensity of about 7 over the next week or so,” the prime minister said, adding that “the Takaichi cabinet will do everything it can.” In her telephone talks with Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura, she said that the central government would do its best to provide support. The government set up an emergency response office at the crisis management center of the prime minister’s office after the quake, convening an emergency task force of senior officials from relevant ministries and agencies and dispatching a Cabinet Office assessment team to affected areas. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]