PM Takaichi's Remarks at the 7th Kumamoto Earthquake Meeting

On August 5, 2026, Prime Minister Takaichi attended the 7th Emergency Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake at the Prime Minister's Office, discussing the response one week after the earthquake occurred on July 28.

As of yesterday, the number of deaths from the earthquake had reached 38, including people whose deaths may have been disaster-related. Approximately 7,100 people were living in evacuation centers, while others continued to shelter at home or sleep in their vehicles. As the intense heat continued, the government was called on to address each disaster victim and deliver support suited to changing conditions on the ground.

The overall message was to secure the safety and health of people living in evacuation, prevent crime, restore water and sewerage systems and other infrastructure, resume business operations, and strengthen systems for municipalities and volunteers, while preventing secondary disasters in preparation for the approaching typhoon.

Ensuring the safety of homes and communities after evacuation was deemed essential for disaster victims to move to secondary evacuation with peace of mind.

The prolonged water outage was presented as a situation requiring resolution as soon as possible, while the government set out a policy of supporting businesses in resuming production and shipments to minimize the impact on nationwide supply chains.

The overlap of secondary disasters caused by the earthquake and typhoon would create further hardship for disaster victims, so every effort would be made to prevent it.

Accelerate secondary evacuation to hotels, inns, and government employee housing, prioritizing older people, people with disabilities, and households with infants. The police will promote crime-prevention publicity, vigilance and patrols, and the installation of security cameras, while taking measures against burglaries and fraud.

The police, fire department, and other services will include people sheltering at home and those sleeping in vehicles among those receiving monitoring and patrols. Public health nurse teams, DWAT, DICT, and DPAT will provide support for heatstroke, economy-class syndrome, infectious diseases, and mental health care.

The water outage had fallen to half or less within one week of the disaster, but still affected more than 40,000 households. The government will thoroughly provide water-supply assistance and work toward resolving outages successively in early and mid-August, with complete restoration by the end of August, through on-site surveys, restoration planning, emergency restoration, and dispatches of water and sewerage technical personnel from municipalities nationwide. The power outage on high-voltage lines was restored on July 31, and restoration of service lines and internal equipment will also be expedited.

A fuel oil supply system four times the normal level was established, and more than 90% of gas stations in Yatsushiro City, Uki City, and Hikawa Town had resumed operations. Semiconductor plants, including TSMC facilities, and major automobile-parts plants had begun moving toward resuming operations.

On the Hakuo II at Yatsushiro Port, bathing assistance and other services began at 2:00 p.m. on August 5. In addition to bathing, lodging, and meals provided by the Self-Defense Forces, the vessel will provide medical services through JMAT. Work will also proceed on effective operations after the typhoon passes, coordination among affected municipalities, personnel reinforcement, and securing a system for receiving volunteers.

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that caution would be necessary for approximately the next week regarding earthquakes with a maximum seismic intensity of lower 5 or greater. Typhoon No. 13 will approach Amami and Okinawa from August 7 to 8, and Kumamoto Prefecture will also need to remain vigilant for strong winds, high waves, and landslides from August 6 onward. Before the typhoon approaches, the government will advance safety inspections and reinforcement of evacuation centers, notify people sheltering at home, prepare police, fire department, and Self-Defense Forces systems, check sandbags, drainage pumps, and generators, and support the distribution and installation of blue tarps.