Japan Press Weekly

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2018 July 11 - 17 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP active in relief efforts in heavy rain-hit western Japan

Record heavy rain hitting western Japan has, as of July 10, killed 149 people with 60 missing. More than 10,000 victims are still sheltered and about 255,000 houses are still without water, according to a government report.

In the affected prefectures, JCP local workers as well as each prefectural committee chair have been delivering relief supplies directly to the victims and asking what they are in most need for now. The JCP workers have also been explaining to those affected the required application procedures for disaster victim certificates in order to receive public support to reconstruct livelihoods.

The JCP already launched an emergency taskforce on July 6, headed by JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira. Many JCP local branches with their local assembypersons are actively carrying out donation-raising activities throughout Japan.

At the same time, the JCP is calling on its members and supporters to engage in volunteer activities in the devastated areas in Okayama, Hiroshima, and Ehime prefectures. The urgent need is to remove the mud out of flooded houses, collect waste and debris, clean up the mess, and give a helping hand to the victims to cope with the difficulties of daily life.

In Hokkaido, near JR Sapporo Station, former JCP Dietmember Hatayama Kazuya and several JCP activists called on Sapporo citizens to cooperate in raising relief funds. Hatayama stressed, "The JCP will make its utmost efforts to work with ruling parties to provide relief to the victims and implement programs for post-disaster recovery." One after another, passersby came up to the JCP volunteers and donated some money.

In front of JR Higashi Kanagawa Station in Kanagawa, JCP city assemblypersons raised relief funds. A shopper in her 40s told the JCP volunteers that she is very angry at Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers as well as Prime Minister Abe for having held a drinking party in the midst of the deadly heavy rain. A worker in her 70s said, "I'm sure your party will deliver my contribution directly to the disaster areas," after putting some change in a donation box.

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Lower House demands that gov't implement full-scale post-disaster measures

The House of Representatives on July 10 at its plenary session adopted a unanimous resolution demanding that the government implement full-scale post-disaster measures in the wake of the so-called Heavy Rain Event of July 2018.

The resolution urges the government to continue rescue efforts, grasp the damage situation, designate the Heavy Rain Event of July 2018 as a serious disaster in order to reconstruct the lives of people and local economies, provide relief measures, ensure the availability of safe evacuation centers, and provide health and emotional care to the stricken people.