Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday visited Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan following a powerful earthquake that struck the region last week, causing widespread destruction, local media reported.
“The government will do everything that it can do,” Takaichi told the residents affected by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake on July 28, Kyodo News Agency reported.
Takaichi visited an evacuation shelter in the town of Hikawa, wearing a disaster response uniform.
She also observed the Aeon shopping mall in the town of Kashima from a helicopter where an explosion occurred after the quake, killing seven people. She also saw the paper plant in Yatsushiro where nine people died.
Aerial footage filmed by public broadcaster NHK helicopter on July 28 showed severe damage to the structure. Sections of the building’s exterior wall had peeled away, exposing steel framework, while part of the roof appeared to have collapsed. A large hole was also visible on the rooftop.
“Takaichi’s government has been eager to promote secondary evacuations to lodging facilities and to strengthen support for people sleeping in cars or remaining in their homes following the quake, government officials said. It is also considering tapping the fiscal 2026 budget’s reserve funds, which total about 1 trillion yen ($6.4 billion),” stated Kyodo News.
She also discussed growing concerns about heatstroke and disaster-related deaths at evacuation sites with local authorities as temperatures reached 40 C in parts of the prefecture.
According to the country’s Meteorological Agency, the earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture at a depth of 10 kilometres at 4:27 pm (local time).
A tsunami warning of one metre was also issued for the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea in southwestern Japan.
The cities of Uki and Hikawa were the hardest hit areas, which registered the maximum level of 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale. The Meteorological Agency says that at a seismic intensity of 7, people cannot remain standing or move without crawling and may be thrown through the air.
(IANS)
