Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi flies to quake-stricken Kumamoto for on-site assessment
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited Kumamoto Prefecture on Monday to evaluate damage and relief needs after the magnitude-7.1 quake that hit the region a week earlier.
Following the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture last Tuesday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi traveled to the area on Monday to personally assess the situation. She is scheduled to view the damage from the air and visit shelters where residents are staying, while meeting local officials to coordinate additional central support. The government is pushing for secondary evacuations to hotels and other facilities, and is concerned about heatstroke and disaster-related deaths as temperatures rise.
The visit comes amid falling approval ratings for Takaichi’s cabinet and has drawn backlash online, with some users calling it unnecessary and costly. Critics also pointed to a recent fundraising event held by Liberal Democratic Party members from nearby Fukuoka, which the party defended as already underway when the quake occurred.
Why it matters
The prime minister’s on-site inspection signals the government’s response to a major disaster and highlights political pressure amid declining support.
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