July 28, 2020

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on July 27 met with the Disaster Management Minister in the Cabinet Office building and demanded that the government take measures in response to the continuing heavy rains in order to support the reconstruction of disaster-hit regions, such as Kumamoto, and the disaster victims.

Koike pointed out that heavy downpours that frequently occurred since early this month have caused devastating damage in wide areas of Japan from the Kyushu region to the Tohoku region. Stating that these areas are experiencing hardships due to a one-two punch of the coronavirus and the torrential rains, he urged the government to provide immediate support at an unprecedented scale.

Based on JCP Dietmembers’ on-site inspections, the party made 17 demands in six fields, such as evacuees’ living environment, housing reconstruction, restoration of victims’ lives and livelihoods, and assistance to affected-municipalities.

Among the 17 demands, demands include the provision of basic foods and necessary goods to people sheltered at their homes, rebuilding support for disaster-hit accommodation facilities with the aim of using them as shelters for the elderly and other vulnerable groups, thoroughgoing measures to inform disaster victims of government programs available to restore their lives and livelihoods, and the provision of direct support to business owners in disaster-hit areas such as an additional distribution of corona-related state subsidies.

In a meeting with Disaster Management Minister Takeda Ryota, JCP Koike referred to the severe situation facing disaster-affected areas, and said, “I hope the government will work to ease disaster victims’ anxieties regarding their future.”

Disaster Management Minister Takeda talked about government efforts and explained that the government began discussing the introduction of a framework under which hotels and ryokans (Japanese inns) will play a role as evacuation facilities in exchange of receiving state assistance to their recovery when a disaster happens.

Past related article:
> Opposition parties will work together to aid heavy rain victims and achieve recovery [July 9, 2020]