Minister Kaneko’s Press Conference Summary
Overview
At the September 4, 2026 press conference, Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Kaneko Yasushi reported on the recovery and reconstruction framework for the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake, inland flooding measures following the August 2026 Chiba torrential rains, and certification of supply-securement plans under the Shipbuilding Revival Fund. In response to questions, he explained advanced forecasting of linear rainbands, the Kita-Shinagawa section of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen, surging prices of newly built condominiums, car use during Level 5 Heavy Rain Special Warnings, and the fire at Nippon Paper Industries’ Yatsushiro Mill.
Key points
- Following the establishment of the Headquarters for the Recovery and Reconstruction of the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake as an Emergency Disaster, the Ministry will establish the MLIT 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction Support Team, with its first meeting scheduled for this afternoon.
- Drawing lessons from the Chiba torrential rains, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will advance inland flooding measures for urban water disasters through both structural and nonstructural approaches.
- As the first projects under the Shipbuilding Revival Fund, three supply-securement plans will be certified, with total public- and private-sector investment on the scale of 600 billion yen over approximately 10 years.
- The minister corrected the record, stating that the report concerning the Kita-Shinagawa section of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen was received by the Railway Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on August 7.
Overview
The press conference focused primarily on recovery and reconstruction from the Kumamoto Earthquake, the damage caused by the Chiba torrential rains and inland flooding measures, and operation of the Shipbuilding Revival Fund. The minister reported decisions concerning establishment of a recovery and reconstruction headquarters after the government’s emergency disaster response headquarters was abolished, an inspection visit to Chiba Prefecture, and certification of supply-securement plans.
Impact
The Chiba torrential rains seriously affected residents’ lives and the regional economy, and affected municipalities called for additional support and fundamental strengthening of measures against similar torrential-rain disasters. In the Kumamoto Earthquake, priority was placed on creating an environment in which affected people could more easily rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
Details
For the Kumamoto Earthquake, recovery and reconstruction will cover housing, tourism, roads, rivers, erosion control, coasts, ports and harbors, government buildings, wells and in-home piping, and transportation and logistics. For the Chiba torrential rains, the measures will combine rainwater storage and drainage facilities, inland flooding hazard maps, and evacuation drills.
As of the end of fiscal year 2025, about 800 of the approximately 1,100 organizations implementing inland flooding measures had completed their hazard maps; about 430 organizations had published them, while about 370 had not. The government requested that the approximately 300 organizations that had not yet prepared maps create and publish them by the next flood season.
For forecasting linear rainbands, the government is pursuing technological development using advanced AI and supercomputers, aiming to begin operating the next-generation weather satellite in fiscal year 2030. The public will be informed that vehicles may become unable to drive even in flooding of approximately 30 centimeters when a Level 5 Heavy Rain Special Warning is issued.