Kumamoto Quake to Be Designated for More State Aid

Kumamoto, Aug. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that the government will designate last week’s major earthquake in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto as a disaster of extreme severity to provide more state aid for efforts to restore infrastructure and agricultural facilities. Takaichi was speaking to reporters in the city of Kumamoto during her first visit to the prefecture since the earthquake struck on Tuesday, measuring up to the maximum seismic intensity of 7 on the Japanese scale. The prime minister also indicated that the government will decide at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to spend over 20 billion yen from reserve funds to support the quake-affected areas. Takaichi vowed to beef up so-called push-type assistance, which involves sending relief goods without waiting for requests for help from affected communities, as well as disaster restoration efforts. “We’ll do everything we can so that people can return to their normal lives without worries and as soon as possible,” she said. “I’d like disaster-affected areas to work on emergency response and restoration efforts without being constrained by financial concerns,” she added. After arriving in the prefecture, Takaichi boarded a Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter to inspect the Aeon Mall Kumamoto shopping facility in the town of Kashima, where an explosion occurred after the tremor. She also flew over Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s plant in the city of Yatsushiro where a chimney collapsed following the quake, and received detailed explanations. On Monday, temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius in the city of Kumamoto, making measures to prevent heatstroke even more important. Takaichi visited an evacuation center in the severely-hit town of Hikawa and spoke with residents. Takaichi also met with Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura at the prefectural government office, and the governor asked the central government to improve living conditions at evacuation centers. The central government believes that a certain level of progress has been made in rescue operations and now plans to focus on preventing disaster-related deaths and restoring key infrastructure. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]