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On July 30, 2020, the Prime Minister held the 12th 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,

“Nearly one month has passed since the heavy rain of July caused the damages. The series of heavy rains took many lives, damaged numerous homes, and caused severe damage to lifelines, local industries, and other sectors across vast areas, including the Kyushu, Chubu and Tohoku regions.

Our concerted recovery efforts with the local governments affected by the disaster have been advancing steadily the restoration of community infrastructure and the treatment of disaster waste. The government must exert every effort in support, in order to accelerate actions for the rebuilding of daily lives and livelihoods of the disaster victims, while taking into consideration the needs of the affected areas and regional characteristics.

To this end, the relevant ministries and agencies have formulated a support package towards the rebuilding of daily lives and livelihoods in the disaster-affected areas, working as one under the Team to Support the Rebuilding of Disaster Victims’ Daily Lives and Livelihoods.

Specifically, the package includes:

-    Support for the swift removal of disaster-related waste and also earth and sediment in residential areas, transport routes and cities, and the demolishing of partially destroyed houses;
-    Support towards the rebuilding of housing by disaster victims, such as securing emergency housing and making it possible to use temporary housing facilities even when conducting emergency repair works;
-    Urgently securing transportation means for the local residents including temporary bus services, and support to restore train services affected by the disaster;
-    Tailored support for disaster-affected business owners, such as creating a new ‘subsidy for rebuilding livelihoods,’ will be possible to receive 100%, in addition to expanding existing group subsidies and lifting group requirements, in view of the fact that this disaster struck while the impact of the recent Kumamoto Earthquake and the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) still remains, and the businesses of disaster victims have become even more severe;
-    Strong support for rebuilding the tourism industries in the disaster-affected areas, such as refurbishing tourist spots and improving their earning capacity; and
-    Comprehensive measures for the agriculture, forestry and fishery industries, such as support for the replanting of damaged fruit trees and restoration of broken agricultural machinery and support to dispose of driftwood and sediment that has accumulated in fishing grounds and fishing ports.

These are emergency measures that firmly meet the needs of the local governments affected by the disaster and other stakeholders.

From the perspective of immediately implementing these measures, as our first measure, a Cabinet decision will be made tomorrow to disburse a total of approximately 100 billion yen of contingency funds.

I ask everyone to reflect upon the disaster victims, who are still facing challenging situations, and implement this response package immediately to rebuild daily lives and livelihoods in the disaster-affected areas.

The government will take all possible measures with a sense of urgency to respond to issues that become apparent. We will also make all-out efforts for the recovery and reconstruction of the disaster-affected areas, working in tandem with the local governments affected by the disaster while taking necessary budgetary and other relevant measures.”