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On July 15, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the seventh 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,
 
“Amidst the extreme heat, those who are being affected by the disaster and forced to lead hard lives are facing ever more challenging circumstances with the passage of time. I would like to ask that you are particularly mindful of the improvement of their living environment. In the affected areas, we are seeing steady and definite progress with the restoration of lifelines, including the recovery from power outages and the opening of all sections of the San-yo Expressway. In addition, today, we will begin accepting applications for provisional temporary housing. The people affected hope most of all to get on the path towards rebuilding their lives and restoring ‘nariwai’ (occupations and livelihoods that sustain people’s daily lives) as quickly as possible, and I would like to ask all of you to exert every effort to this end.
 
In this light, we have carried out a series of assessments to designate the recent disaster as a ‘Disaster of Extreme Severity’ at the earliest date possible. We are now set to designate the latest series of natural disasters as Disasters of Extreme Severity. Specifically, we will apply measures on a nationwide basis, including raising the subsidy rate for disaster response and recovery projects focused on roads, rivers, agricultural land, and facilities for joint use of the agriculture, forestry and fishery industries, and provision of disaster-related credit guarantees for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We will also accelerate required assessments in the remaining areas. I will exert utmost efforts to ensure that the affected municipalities can swiftly engage in disaster response and recovery work with peace of mind, without worrying about their fiscal conditions or budgetary matters, and that those affected can return to their daily lives with peace of mind at the earliest possible date.
 
I asked Minister Okonogi to take part in the planned visit to Hiroshima today. I will certainly visit Hiroshima at a later date. I will also continue to exert every effort for implementing emergency response and recovery work in the affected areas, rebuilding the lives of those affected, and restoring ‘nariwai’ at the earliest possible date, from the standpoint of the people affected and following through with the front-line approach. I would like to ask for your continued cooperation and efforts.”