Minister Kaneko's Press Conference Summary
Overview
The September 8, 2026, press conference of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism covered an inspection of areas affected by the heavy rain in Hokuriku and future disaster prevention and mitigation measures, an investigation into the chimney fire at Nippon Paper Industries' Yatsushiro Mill, prevention of underpass flooding accidents, policies for developing Shinkansen lines including the Uetsu Shinkansen, and views on routes for extending the Hokuriku Shinkansen. As of September 7, more than 1,900 homes had been damaged by the heavy rain in Hokuriku, and 10 injured people had been confirmed.
Key points
- Emergency support for the areas affected by the heavy rain in Hokuriku and additional integrated structural and non-structural measures will be advanced.
- The government will consider expanding the introduction of preventive advance traffic restrictions for underpasses.
- Based on the investigation results concerning the chimney fire, recurrence-prevention measures will be requested as necessary.
- Shinkansen development will prioritize routes in existing development plans, while placing importance on regional consensus for routes in basic plans.
Overview
At the press conference, the minister reported on an inspection of affected areas in Fukui Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Toyama Prefecture. The minister confirmed sites involving river flooding, road damage, flooding caused by levee breaches, and river-channel blockages caused by sediment outflows, and exchanged views with the heads of local governments.
The inspection led to recognition that prior disaster prevention is extremely important for preventing similar damage. Local governments requested stronger support and measures that take into account renewed disasters during recovery and reconstruction and shortages of technical personnel.
Impact
It was explained that river development contributed to reducing damage even during this heavy rain. At the Murata Town underpass, traffic restrictions before flooding prevented vehicles from entering without congestion or accidents, confirming the effectiveness of the measures in preventing flooding accidents.
Meanwhile, levee breaches and sediment disasters occurred in Hokuriku, and in Iwaki City, two vehicles were submerged in an underpass, resulting in one death.
Details
During the heavy rain in Hokuriku, structural measures such as river-channel excavation, drainage pumps, erosion-control dams, and facilities for trapping driftwood were implemented, along with non-structural measures such as water-level information, hazard maps, and warnings issued at joint press conferences. Going forward, the government will advance damage assessment, confirmation of development effects, financial and technical support, and additional measures.
Fire departments and other organizations are investigating the cause of the chimney fire, while the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will confirm the facts. For underpasses, based on the notifications of August 21 and August 27, the ministry will strengthen measures to prevent vehicle entry, ensure the functionality of drainage facilities and information boards, and establish communication systems with relevant organizations, while promptly formulating guidelines.
The Shinkansen routes in development plans for Hokkaido, Hokuriku, and West Kyushu will be prioritized. For this fiscal year's case studies of routes in basic plans, preparations are under way with the Shikoku Shinkansen and East Kyushu Shinkansen as candidates, and the minister did not state that the Uetsu Shinkansen would be added at this time. Regarding the route for extending the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the minister said that the formal process and consideration by experts would be given priority.