• 
• 
• 
• 

 
On October 13, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the second Ministerial Meeting on Typhoon No. 19* at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“A powerful typhoon, Typhoon No. 19*, has caused severe damage over vast areas, in particular eastern Japan. At one point, heavy rain emergency warnings were issued in 13 prefectures. We experienced a record-breaking heavy rain that resulted in emergency water discharges from dams and flooding of rivers, among other impacts.
 
We have received a series of reports of deaths, missing people and injuries due to this typhoon; many homes have also suffered flood damage. I express my condolences for the people who have lost their lives, and extend my heartfelt sympathies to everyone who has been affected by this disaster.
 
Even at this moment, along with police, firefighters, and the Japan Coast Guard, 27,000 personnel of the Self-Defense Forces are exerting every effort for rescue and relief activities, searching for missing people, and guiding evacuees. We will mobilize our resources flexibly and effectively as necessary. The daily lives of the public continue to be greatly affected by power and water outages, as well as the suspension of transportation services. The Government will extend its utmost support for the restoration work beingcarried out by relevant institutions and business operators to ensure recovery as soon as possible.
 
The Government dispatched liaison officers from each ministry to relevant municipalities prior to the disaster, and is collaborating closely with local governments and gathering information on damages. Following this meeting, we will dispatch advance teams for information gathering to Nagano Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture, as well as dispatch Minister of State for Disaster Management Takeda to affected sites as well.
 
In light of the extremely widespread and severe damages that occurred, today we will establish an Emergency Response Headquarters. I ask everyone to strive to understand the full extent of the damage, undertake emergency disaster response measures that put people’s lives first, and continue to carry out the prompt dissemination of information that is easy to understand.
 
The typhoon has moved out into the ocean, and all of the emergency warnings have been withdrawn. However, due to the heavy rain, river levels are rising and the soil may have loosened in places. I ask the people to not let down their guard, and to remain duly vigilant in case of landslides and flooding of rivers.”
 
*Typhoon Hagibis