Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi offers a prayer while flying over areas affected by the Kumamoto earthquake on August 3. (Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office's X account)
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited earthquake-hit areas of Kumamoto Prefecture on August 3, marking her first trip to the region since the magnitude 7.1 quake struck on July 28.
Takaichi surveyed the damage from a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter, flying over sites including Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Mashiki Town, where a powerful explosion following the earthquake caused deaths and injuries.
She also inspected Nippon Paper Industries' Yatsushiro Mill in Yatsushiro City, where workers were killed when a chimney collapsed. According to the Cabinet Public Relations Office's X account, Takaichi repeatedly bowed her head in prayer and paid tribute to the victims during the flight.
The office later posted details of the visit on X, saying: "Once again, we express our deepest condolences to those who lost their lives and their bereaved families, and extend our heartfelt sympathies to all those affected by the disaster."
Meeting Evacuees and Local Officials
Takaichi then visited a junior high school in Hikawa Town being used as an evacuation center, where she met with evacuees for about 20 minutes and listened to their concerns. She said the government was working to arrange secondary evacuations, including moving evacuees from shelters to hotels and inns.
"We are arranging for hotels and inns outside the town to be secured so that people can gradually move there. A Self-Defense Force vessel will arrive tomorrow with medical facilities and accommodation for evacuees," she said.
With extreme heat continuing, concerns are growing over a rise in heatstroke cases and disaster-related deaths among evacuees.
She later visited the Kumamoto Prefectural Government Office, where the local disaster response headquarters has been established. During a meeting with Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura and other officials, Takaichi said the government would identify challenges facing affected communities and incorporate them into its support measures.
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Author: The Sankei Shimbun
