Takaichi Vows Aid Package for Quake-Hit Kumamoto

Tokyo, Aug. 18 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi vowed Tuesday to swiftly compile an aid package for Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit hard by last month’s powerful earthquake. Takaichi informed Takashi Kimura, governor of the prefecture in the Kyushu southwestern Japan region, of the aid package plan in their meeting at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, in which the local leader handed the prime minister a written request for “special fiscal aid” to help reconstruct and revitalize areas hit by the 7.1-magnitude temblor. The July 28 quake registered up to 7, the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale. The prime minister said that the city of Uki and the towns of Kashima and Hikawa will likely be designated as severely damaged municipalities, joining the town of Mifune and the city of Yatsushiro. Small businesses in the designated municipalities will be eligible for enhanced loan guarantees under a related law. The written request pointed out that many municipal governments in the prefecture need to fully start repayments soon of bonds they issued to fund reconstruction projects following the April 2016 massive earthquakes, which also measured up to 7 on the Japanese scale in the prefecture. “Support from the central government is essential to respond quickly and appropriately to the latest disaster,” it said. It also sought support for the resumption of farming and measures as well as for stimulating tourism demand in light of possible harmful rumors. Later on Tuesday, Takaichi received requests from four business organizations in Kyushu, including the Kyushu Economic Federation, for assistance in rebuilding businesses and swiftly restoring public transport infrastructure. “The earliest possible reconstruction of Kumamoto will directly lead to further growth of the economies of Kyushu and the whole of the country,” the prime minister said, pointing out that the prefecture is a hub for semiconductor- and automobile-related industries. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]