Video of Takaichi's Visit to Quake-Hit Kumamoto under Fire
Tokyo, Aug. 8 (Jiji Press)--A roughly two-minute video of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's visit to earthquake-stricken Kumamoto Prefecture on Monday has sparked controversy, with some saying that it is like a promotional video for the country's leader. The video was created by the prime minister's office and posted on its official account on X, formerly Twitter, on the night of the...
KUMAMOTO, Japan (Kyodo) -- More than 1,200 disaster relief volunteers have begun arriving in quake-stricken Kumamoto Prefecture since municipalities commenced accepting their assistance this month. Municipalities set up volunteer centers in 11 regions following local requests, with 10 of these areas initiating volunteer dispatches by Saturday.
The 10 municipalities received more volunteer applications than they requested. As of Friday, there were a total of 1,293 registered volunteers, who will assist in tasks such as debris removal and cleanup of earthquake-damaged homes. The prefectural government had initially requested that potential volunteers avoid entering disaster-stricken zones until local governments were prepared to receive them.
As of Saturday, the death toll had reached 39, with over 6,500 people still residing in evacuation shelters. Approximately 18,000 houses had been either destroyed or damaged, according to the Kumamoto government. Risako Matsumoto, a 58-year-old woman visiting from central Japan's Iwata city, expressed her willingness to assist in Uki, one of the most severely impacted areas, stating, "Since I often vacation here, I want to help."
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
