To help disaster-stricken people reconstruct their livelihoods, it is imperative for the government to steadily carry out comprehensive assistance measures for them.
The government has compiled a package of measures to deal with the damage caused by Typhoon No. 19 and other natural disasters. The package mainly consists of assistance for residents whose homes were flooded and farmers, and the provision of subsidies for small and medium-size enterprises. Fiscal resources for these measures, totaling 130 billion yen, will be allocated from reserve funds of the current fiscal budget. The package is to be approved at a Nov. 8 Cabinet meeting.
Due to heavy rain brought on by Typhoon Nos. 19 and 21, about 70,000 residences in the Tohoku, Kanto and Koshinetsu regions were flooded, above or below floor level. As many as 2,800 people are still forced to live in evacuation centers. First of all, the reconstruction of homes must be expedited.
The government has provided up to 3 million yen in assistance money or up to about 600,000 yen in emergency repair funds each for households that suffered flood damage. In the aftermath of Typhoon No. 15 in September, the range of assistance was expanded to cover partially damaged homes, which had not been subject to government support.
The government has decided to take similar assistance steps to deal with the damage caused by Typhoon No. 19 and subsequent heavy rains. Unlike in the aftermath of earthquakes, flood damage in many cases does not result in complete destruction of homes. In view of the actual situation, it is reasonable that the range of damage subject to government assistance has been expanded.
It is essential for the time being to secure temporary or emergency housing units. It is necessary to tackle the task of reconstructing the infrastructure for living in a way that meets the needs of disaster-stricken people.
The government aid package is characterized by the fact that it has put forth a stance of providing generous support for small and midsize companies. The subsidy system for groups of such firms, which was established in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, will be approved in four prefectures of Miyagi, Fukushima, Tochigi and Nagano.
Under the group subsidy system, which is based on the premise that two or more companies undertake regional reconstruction jointly, the government finances 75 percent of reconstruction costs for factories and other structures as well as production equipment. The system is said to have had a certain effect in preventing bankruptcies in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Many parts makers at an industrial complex in the city of Nagano were forced to suspend their operations as the complex was inundated after the banks of the Chikumagawa river collapsed. If parts supply networks are suspended, this will exert an adverse effect on the economy as a whole. The government is called on to effectively support industrial reconstruction in disaster-hit areas.
Operators of orchards for such fruits as apples and peaches as well as rice farmers suffered serious damage. It is necessary to provide diversified assistance, including the provision of subsidies for replanting fruit seedlings and purchasing agricultural machines, with a view to helping them work toward resuming operations.
Record heavy rain has continued due to the effects of global warming, causing many riverbanks to collapse. It is important to promote a project for building a disaster-resistant nation as planned.
The government last year decided on a disaster prevention and mitigation plan through fiscal 2020. The plan mainly calls for flood control measures, including the bolstering of embankments and dams. The project requires a total investment of 7 trillion yen.
Advocating the need to boost national resilience, the Liberal Democratic Party calls for augmenting the plan.
The government should advance discussions on infrastructure improvement by taking into consideration fiscal constraints and the order of priorities.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 8, 2019)
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
