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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Hiroshima City in order to gauge the state of damage from the landslides caused by torrential rains.
First, the Prime Minister visited the Hiroshima Prefectural Office, where he received a report on the state of damage, and held an exchange of opinions.
Afterwards, the Prime Minister visited an elementary school in Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima City, which is serving as an evacuation center, where he offered words of encouragement to the residents who have evacuated there.
Later, the Prime Minister visited the site of the landslides, where he confirmed the state of damage. Following this, the Prime Minister received a report at the on-site coordination center on the activities of firefighters, the police, the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and others, and offered words of encouragement to them.
Lastly, the Prime Minister observed the state of damage from a helicopter.
The Prime Minister said in response to questions from the press,
“First, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences for the lives lost as a result of the recent torrential rainfall. 
In addition, I offer my deepest condolences to all of the disaster-stricken people. The Government has been working as one to make all out efforts for rescue, relief, and disaster response measures, including the establishment of the initial response framework following the onset of the disaster.
Many people have been working day and night for emergency rescue and relief since the onset of the disaster. I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Unfortunately, many people are still missing. The Government will work as one and exert every effort to confirm their safety and search for them, and we will continue to do so. In addition, we are receiving the support of many volunteers for recovery activities. I again want to offer my gratitude to those volunteers and to the residents of the region.
Today I visited the area affected by the disaster. I again confirmed the severity of the landslides, and talked with the people affected by this disaster. Changes to the climate in recent years have caused sudden, focused rainfall, and this has led to sudden disaster. I have once again been made very aware of these changes. I would like the Government and ruling parties to discuss how to respond to this.
I also talked today with those affected by the disaster and people from local governments. I intend to carefully consider their requests. The Government will do everything it can to ensure that people can live with peace of mind and resume their daily lives. At the disaster response headquarters, we will set up  a team for supporting those affected by the disaster, and I believe that we must accelerate support measures for rebuilding their lives. Also, there remains a great amount of soil left on roads and in houses. We will devote further efforts to removing this, as well as to recovery efforts.
In addition, I have heard many suggestions about forms of support that would provide evacuees with even a little more comfort, and I would like to act upon them. 
Lastly, I will be designating these torrential rains, as well as Typhoon Halong, Typhoon Nakri, and other such disasters as ‘Disasters of Extreme Severity.’ I would like to accelerate efforts to that end.”