Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 11th meeting of the Reconstruction Promotion Council at the Prime Minister's Office.
At the meeting, measures for accelerating the reconstruction were discussed. Based on the discussion at the meeting, the Prime Minister said,
“Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake is a top priority of the Cabinet. In the affected areas, the bustle of the reconstruction is in full swing. I visit the affected areas every month and I can clearly sense the progress of the reconstruction when I see the smiling faces of families who have moved into newly-built public housing, or talk with people working at reconstructed factories.
Nevertheless, even after three and a half years have passed, almost 250,000 people are still forced to evacuate their homes. As such we are still only halfway there. In conjunction with advancing the reconstruction of homes, we also need to restore the industries and livelihoods of the affected areas.
Furthermore, we must enhance and strengthen support for maintaining the physical and mental health of all the people who have to live in temporary housing for increasingly long periods of time.
In particular, the Government will stand at the forefront to realize the revitalization of Fukushima, while carefully considering measures to achieve hope and independence together with the local people.
There can be no revitalization of Japan without the reconstruction of Tohoku. Our new ministers also share the mindset that we are all Ministers for Reconstruction, and I will instruct them once again to exert their unstinting efforts to develop Tohoku into a front-runner for the creation of a new Japan.”