Japan’s Prime Minister Visits Kumamoto as Heat Complicates Earthquake Recovery

Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, visited earthquake-hit communities in Kumamoto prefecture on Monday, August 3, as emergency crews and residents faced extreme heat, water shortages and crowded shelters nearly a week after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

Officials said 38 people died in the disaster. One death was linked to suspected heatstroke while the victim sheltered in a vehicle. More than 46,000 households remained without water, while fuel shortages were also affecting the region as temperatures in southern Japan reached as high as 40C.

More than 8,500 people were still staying in emergency shelters set up in community centres, school gyms and classrooms. Many facilities lacked air conditioning, clean water or adequate medical support. Other residents were sleeping in cars, parks or outside damaged homes, increasing concern about heat-related illness.

Takaichi surveyed affected areas by military helicopter and visited a shelter in Hikawa. Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura asked the central government for additional help to improve conditions at evacuation centres. The prime minister said the government would quickly assess further measures and act proactively.

Temporary housing construction has begun in Uki and Hikawa, while some hotels and inns are making rooms available to evacuees. Residents have also started clearing damaged furniture, appliances and debris from their communities.

The recovery has brought scrutiny to safety decisions made after the quake. A retailer acknowledged instructing two employees to return to a damaged shopping centre to secure sales proceeds; both later died in an explosion believed to have been caused by a gas leak. Seven bodies were recovered from the mall.