[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the 24th meeting of the Emergency Response Headquarters for the Earthquake Centered in the Kumamoto Region of Kumamoto Prefecture 2016 at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, a statement was made by Mr. Ikuo Kabashima, Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, and reports and discussions were held on the situation pertaining to damage and the response of each ministry and agency.

Following on from the address by Governor Kabashima, the Prime Minister said in his address,

“We have just heard from Governor Kabashima about the state of damage in Kumamoto Prefecture due to the earthquakes, and requests related to that. I would like to again express my condolences for those who lost their lives, and my heartfelt sympathies for everyone affected by this disaster. I would also like to express my sincere respect for the hard and tireless efforts of everyone who has worked so vigorously for those affected by the disaster ever since it first occurred, including Governor Kabashima and Speaker of the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly Matsuda.

Almost one month has passed since the onset of the earthquakes. We are making progress on infrastructure repairs. For instance, this afternoon, we will reopen the Oita Expressway. However, with earthquakes continuing to occur and temperatures rising, many people continue to be forced to live anxious and restricted lives in evacuation centers. We are already making progress with regard to moving people into public housing and other locations, as well as the construction of temporary housing. We must devote maximum efforts to implementing measures for moving everyone who cannot return to their homes into new housing where they can live with peace of mind, as soon as possible. Including those working to assess home damage and issue subsidies for those with Disaster Victim Certificates, close to 1,500 people have been dispatched from the national Government and support dispatches from across the country. By mobilizing them, we will provide thorough support for municipal governments in the disaster-affected areas as a top priority, so that we can advance our initiatives in an even faster and smoother manner.

At the same time, it is indispensable that we continue to maintain the livelihoods and employment of the people affected by this disaster. I hope that the businesspeople working in the region, who have been forced to endure a temporary suspension of business activities or a decline in their business, will be able to maintain hope for the day when their livelihoods will once again be restored. Today, we have decided to raise the subsidy rate for employment adjustment subsidies. We are raising the rate for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from two-thirds to four-fifths, and for major corporations, from one-half to two-thirds, thereby taking thorough employment measures.

Concerning funding measures for repair and reconstruction, we have increased the subsidy rate for repair work in a wide range of fields, including the repair of roads, rivers, farmland, and schools, through the declaration of a ‘Disaster of Extreme Severity.’ In addition, in relation to the supplementary budget that we are currently preparing, we will also offer thorough and needed support for people in the disaster-affected areas operating SMEs, as well as businesses in the agriculture, forestry and fishery and tourism sectors, through the establishment of a new emergency fund. We are taking all possible measures to provide robust and detailed support to facilitate the rebuilding of livelihoods and reconstruction of industry as soon as possible.

A moment ago, the Governor requested that the Government take charge of repair work. Immediately tomorrow we will make a Cabinet Decision on a Government ordinance designating this an ‘emergency disaster’ as defined in the Reconstruction Act . This will be promulgated and implemented on May 13. In doing so, the Government will hence forth conduct repair work related to destroyed bridges, tunnels, roads, and so on, on behalf of Kumamoto Prefecture.

We will ‘do everything that is possible’ until the day when the people affected by this disaster can return to their normal lives and when we have completed repair and reconstruction.

The Government will continue to work in unity with the municipal governments in the areas affected by this disaster, including the affected prefectural governments. We will implement every possible support measure and offer our fullest support in order to meet the expectations of everyone who is working so hard to move forward with the rebuilding of people’s lives and reconstruction.”