Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting of the Ministerial Council on Torrential Rain in August 2014 at the Prime Minister’s Office.

During the meeting, discussion was held on the extent of the damage and the status of the disaster response.
 
The Prime Minister said in his opening remarks,

“I would like to express my heartfelt condolences for the lives lost as a result of the recent torrential rainfall and once again offer my sincere sympathies to those affected by the disaster. 
39 deaths have already been confirmed, and the safety of 51 other individuals is yet unknown. Severe damage has also occurred, including the partial or complete destruction of a large number of homes. Today we have set up an emergency disaster response headquarters , and established a framework to allow the Government to work as one to accelerate our response.
At the disaster site, amid large quantities of mud, driftwood and collapsed homes, members of the police, the fire department, the Self-Defense Forces, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and others are continuing to make all out rescue efforts day and night. I would like to express my sincere respect for all involved. I ask that everyone continue these all out efforts to rescue the victims as quickly as possible.
Many people have lost their homes and are having to live under uncomfortable conditions in evacuation centers. There are also regions that remain cut off from lifelines such as electricity, gas and water. I would like the Government to work as one to promptly restore lifelines so that those affected by the disaster can resume their normal lives as quickly as possible. I would also like the Government to provide support for rebuilding their lives, including the supply of daily necessities such as food and medical care, and measures to ensure their mental and physical wellbeing. 
Since rain is forecast to continue falling for the time being, I would like everyone to take all possible steps to prevent secondary damage and the worsening of the primary damage.
I would like to ask all relevant ministers to continue to work closely with the local governments affected by this disaster and the relevant organizations, to make full and thorough efforts to conduct search and rescue activities, and provide support for the victims, among other measures.”