Japan Press Weekly

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2016 April 27 - May 10 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Shii delivers additional donations to quake-hit Kumamoto

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on May 7 visited Kumamoto Prefecture which was hit hard by massive earthquakes last month. He handed a total of 27 million yen in additional donations collected by the JCP to the Kumamoto governor, mayors of Kumamoto City, Mashiki Town, and Nishihara Village.

Shii met with evacuees at shelters to hear their requests regarding measures to rebuild their lives. JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira, Policy Commission Chair Fujino Yasufumi, Lower House member Tamura Takaaki and Upper House member Nihi Sohei joined in Shii’s visit.

Later on the same day, the JCP chair answered questions from the press at the prefectural government office building. Asked about his impressions of the visit, Shii said that after seeing that many buildings collapsed in the hardest-hit areas, he realized fully the severity of the disaster.

Pointing out that disaster evacuees are suffering terribly from physical and mental stress, Shii said, “Top priority should be given to the protection of evacuees’ health and lives.”

Shii noted that the Abe government on April 15, just after the outbreak of the disaster, issued notifications calling on local municipalities to improve the living environments at evacuation facilities, provide hot and balanced meals to evacuees, set up shelters for people with disabilities or special needs, and build a sufficient number of temporary housing units, but these measures are rarely implemented by disaster-hit municipalities. Stating that local governments and volunteers are making impressive efforts to help victims, Shii stressed that all-out support from the national government is essential.

The JCP chair also underscored the need to increase the upper limit of a subsidy for housing reconstruction from the current three million yen to five million yen. He added that the JCP will work to achieve this.

Regarding Kyushu Electric Power Company’ Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kumamoto’s neighboring prefecture of Kagoshima, Shii said that the plant operation should be halted as a preemptive measures against emergency.

Past related articles:
> JCP collects donations for disaster victims in Kyushu [April 18, 2016]
> JCP sets up taskforce to assist victims following Kumamoto earthquake [April 16, 2016]