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On July 12, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the fourth meeting of the Emergency Response Headquarters for the Heavy Rain in July 2018 at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
 
“In response to the heavy rain of July 2018, many front-line personnel continue to devote every effort to search for the large number of people whose safety has not been confirmed following the recent heavy rain of July 2018.

Yesterday, I visited some of the affected areas in Okayama Prefecture and had seen for myself the tremendous ravages. I had several opportunities to hear directly from those affected, and I now feel even more committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that they can return to their daily lives with peace of mind at the earliest possible date. I am asking all of you to identify swiftly and respond immediately to the needs on the ground, which are changing every moment.

Amidst the extreme heat, the Government is exerting its fullest efforts so that those affected can leave their restricted lives in evacuation centers as soon as possible. With the cooperation of All Japan Ryokan Hotel Association, we have secured rooms for 800 people. Some, mainly the elderly, are already moving to these new accommodations. In addition, we have already secured 17,000 units of public housing, Urban Renaissance Agency housing, as well as civil servant housing, along with 54,000 units of private-sector rental housing mainly in the affected area. We will now begin accepting applications for these units.

In Mabi Town, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, where one-third of the community was affected by the flooding, had flood waters mostly removed from residential areas and community roadways with 24-hours a day drainage activities. I saw those residents affected were forced to work hard to remove the rubble. It is expected that large amounts of disaster-related waste be generated in each affected community; the Government has commenced the assistance of affected prefectures through the dispatch of local support teams comprised of officials from the Ministry of the Environment and other experts in the related fields. We will provide fiscal support for the disposal of disaster-related waste and the restoration of disposal facilities damaged in the floods. I ask all of you respond promptly from the standpoint of those who affected, such as with the transportation provided by the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), allocating of garbage collection vehicles provided by local governments throughout Japan, and coordination of wide-area disposal.

The restoration of distribution networks still remains a major challenge. However, last night, at 11:00 pm on July 11, the national route connecting Hiroshima City with Kure City opened to traffic. I ask that relevant ministries and agencies dedicate their fullest efforts in responding to supply shortages in Kure City.

232 government officials provided assistance to the team to support disaster victims and 154 local government workers from 16 prefectures and cities have been dispatched to the affected areas to assist the works of the municipalities, which were affected by the disaster, engaging in restoration and reconstruction activities, as well as administrative work for issuing Disaster Victim Certificates. I ask that everyone continue to respond thoroughly to the needs, which are changing every moment, while being mindful of those affected and focusing attention on the front-lines.”