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On July 22, 2020, the Prime Minister held the tenth meeting of the Emergency Headquarters for the Heavy Rain in July 2020 at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“Mr. KUROIWA Yuji, Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, Mr. KABASHIMA Ikuo, Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, thank you for attending the government’s emergency headquarters meeting, despite your very busy schedules.
 
We heard just now from both governors, who represent local governments affected by the disaster, about the state of damages caused by the heavy rain and the requests.
 
Once again, I would like to extend my sincere condolences for those who have lost their lives in the recent disaster, and express my heartfelt sympathy to all those who have been affected.
 
I also express my deep respect for the great efforts and endeavors of everyone that has been working diligently each day for disaster response, ever since the disaster first struck. 
 
As a result of the recent heavy rain, many people are still missing and a great number of houses have been flooded or otherwise damaged. At evacuation centers, more than 2,000 people are still facing uneasy and challenging days.
 
The government will continue to exert every effort to search for those missing and restore lifelines, and take thorough steps to provide well-tailored support to the people affected by this disaster, including securing housing.

In Kumamoto Prefecture, the damage to roads spanned up to 100 km, including 10 bridges across Kuma River that were washed away. The government has decided to take over emergency repair work for roads, including National Route 219 and Kumamoto prefectural roads, in accordance with the Road Act, which was recently amended by the Diet.
 
In addition to emergency repair work in the disaster-affected areas, the government intends to provide robust support for disaster victims to rebuild their daily lives, and for the micro-, small- and medium-sized business operators and farmers, foresters and fishermen affected by the disaster on their path towards rebuilding their businesses.
 
Next week, we will formulate a policy package for rebuilding lives and livelihoods, while taking fully into account the requests made by Governor Kuroiwa and Governor Kabashima today, and being mindful of the disaster victims greatly impacted by repeated natural disasters and the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
 
The government will make utmost effort for recovery and reconstruction, working as one with the local governments affected by the disaster, so as to enable the disaster victims to rebuild their daily lives with hope and the local governments affected by the disaster to engage in recovery and reconstruction efforts without any concerns over their finances. I ask for your continued cooperation."