• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

 
On July 11, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Okayama Prefecture to inspect the state of the damage caused by the heavy rain of July 2018.
 
The Prime Minister first visited an elementary school in Kurashiki City, which is serving as an evacuation center, where he listened to evacuees. After that, he visited a site affected by the flooding.
 
Afterwards, the Prime Minister exchanged views with Ryuta Ibaragi, Governor of Okayama Prefecture, in Okayama City, and received a written request from the Governor.
 
After the visit, the Prime Minister said,
 
“First, I would like to pray for peace for the souls of those who lost their lives in the recent heavy rain and offer my deepest condolences to their bereaved families. I would also like to extend my heartfelt sympathy to all who have been affected by this disaster.
 
While the Government has devoted every effort since the disaster struck, there are still many people whose safety has not yet been confirmed. We will exert all of our efforts to search for them.
 
Earlier, I visited the affected area, and had seen for myself the tremendous ravages of the heavy rain. I also listened to the people affected at the evacuation center, such as their suffering, the difficulties they face at the evacuation center, and the anxiety they are experiencing. 
 
The Government will work in unity eliminating silo mentalities to provide attentive support and to rebuild the lives of those affected, with push-mode support to provide supplies needed for daily lives including necessities, the improvement of living environments at evacuation centers, the provision of air conditioning as the hot days continue, as well as the provision of temporary housing.
 
To achieve these, we will take budgetary measures, such as the adequate utilization of the contingency fund and providing regular local allocation tax ahead of schedule. With regard to the designation of this disaster as a “Disaster of Extreme Severity,” we will move forward on the procedures promptly, so I would like the affected municipalities to dedicate all of their efforts into the emergency response and recovery work without worrying about their fiscal conditions and any hesitation about budgetary matters.
 
Under the basic principle of doing everything possible while proactively taking the initiative, the Government is making all-out efforts to provide assistance the daily lives of those affected by the disaster.”
 
Furthermore, the Prime Minister said,
 
“The Government has been working as one and exerting all of their efforts to respond since the onset of the disaster. Of course, we are still facing many challenges. Moving forward, we are thoroughly focusing on the situation on the ground, and have immediately deployed the Team to Support the Daily Lives of Disaster Victims. The Government will work with the municipalities in unity to respond to this disaster, incorporating the views and requests from the frontline through this team.”