Govt to Examine Initial Response to Western Japan Downpour

August 2, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese government will examine its initial response to the recent heavy rain that severely damaged western regions of the nation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday.

For the examination, a task force, to be headed by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita, will be formed. A team of experts will also be set up, at the government's central disaster management council.

"Protecting the lives and assets of people in the country is the biggest duty of the government," Suga told a news conference.

Following the recent torrential rain, "we need to study again what we can do to reduce the risk of damage from disasters," the top government spokesman also said.

Last week, the government designated the downpour as a disaster with extreme severity, a move that will increase state subsidies for reconstruction projects by affected local governments. The disaster claimed the lives of more than 200 people. Jiji Press