Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori observed the vicinity of Mount Usu, Hokkaido, where volcanic activity was continuing, and visited local residents who had been forced to evacuate their homes because of the danger of a major eruption. After surveying the extent of the damage from a Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter, the Prime Minister visited the government's Mount Usu Eruption Emergency Disaster Countermeasures Local Headquarters, headed by Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the National Land Agency Toshio Masuda, in Date City. He then visited shelters in Date and the town of Toyoura, shaking hands with evacuees, expressing his sympathy, and encouraging them.