Japan's New Farm Minister Inspects Typhoon Damage in Chiba

On October 26, Japan's newest agriculture minister, Arata Takebe, toured the city of Narita in Chiba Prefecture to assess the damage inflicted by Typhoon Dujuan, the 25th typhoon of the year. This powerful storm made landfall in September. Takebe met with Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai and other local officials to evaluate the impact of the typhoon on farmland and agricultural pump stations.

During a press conference at the Narita city government office later that day, the minister made a commitment to work tirelessly towards restoring the damaged facilities, ensuring that agricultural operations can resume as normal in the coming year.

According to Chiba Governor Kumagai, Takebe assured the central government would take responsibility for repairing heavily damaged pump stations and other essential facilities. Takebe acknowledged the ongoing struggle, stating, "We have yet to overcome the disaster damage," in reference to an eel farming facility that lost power due to the collapse of a levee at Lake Inba. This facility is situated along the border of Narita and several other Chiba municipalities.