Japan Premier Tours Quake Zone as Heat Hampers Recovery

TOKYO- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited the earthquake-stricken Kumamoto prefecture on Monday as cleanup operations gathered pace following last week’s powerful earthquake, with extreme heat and water shortages complicating relief efforts across the affected region.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southwestern main island of Kyushu last Tuesday, leaving 38 people dead and 114 injured, according to prefectural authorities. Among those who died was a person who apparently suffered heat stroke while sheltering in a car, while officials said the cause of another death remained under investigation.

Takaichi made her first visit to the disaster zone since the quake, meeting local officials and inspecting relief operations. Residents across the affected communities placed piles of debris, damaged furniture and household appliances outside for collection as recovery work intensified.

Construction of temporary housing began in the towns of Uki and Hikawa, where many residents remain displaced after hundreds of homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable.

Prefectural authorities said around 700 homes were destroyed and more than 11,300 buildings sustained damage in the earthquake. More than 46,000 households were still without running water, while fuel shortages persisted in several areas.

The recovery effort has been complicated by an intense heatwave, with the Japan Meteorological Agency forecasting temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius on Monday. Authorities have warned that prolonged exposure to the heat increases the risk of heat-related illnesses for both evacuees and emergency workers.

More than 8,500 people remained in emergency shelters, including community centers, school gymnasiums and classrooms, many of which lack air conditioning. Others continued to sleep in cars, parks and outside damaged homes because they were unable to return safely to their residences.

Disaster management experts have long warned that overcrowded shelters with inadequate sanitation, privacy and cooling facilities can create additional health risks for displaced populations following major natural disasters.

Takaichi visited one of the region’s better-equipped evacuation centers, where cardboard beds, partitions and air conditioning had been installed. The visit drew criticism on social media from some users who argued that the facility did not reflect conditions at many other shelters in the disaster zone.

Separately, a local retailer acknowledged that it had instructed two employees to return to a damaged shopping mall after the earthquake to secure the day’s sales proceeds in a safe. Both workers later died in an explosion that authorities believe was caused by a gas leak.

Executives from Habita, which operated a general store inside the collapsed Aeon Mall in the town of Kashima, attended the wake of one of the victims, 22-year-old Kurumi Otake, on Sunday and apologized to her family. Company sales manager Goji Yuse said the employees had been instructed to place the proceeds in the safe if it could be done safely.

The mall operator said approximately 3,000 shoppers had been evacuated before the explosion occurred, although some employees remained inside the building. Rescue workers later recovered five survivors and the bodies of seven victims from the collapsed structure.