Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to swiftly implement an aid package for the country’s areas hit the hardest by the recent landslides and floods driven by torrential rains.
The torrential rains have been rocking Japan during the past month, media reported on Tuesday.
According to the prime minister, people from the affected areas will start moving to temporary housing as early as this week and a total of 100 billion yen ($940 million) will be allocated to accelerate the process, the NHK broadcaster said.
The secretary-general of Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, Nikai Toshihiro, also said the party would make every effort to implement the aid package so that people can return to their normal lives as soon as possible.
Japan is still experiencing heavy rains in some regions even though the rainy season usually ends across the country by July 25.
Non-stop heavy rains have led to floods and landslides in many residential areas, with over 15,000 houses destroyed or damaged and more than 70 people killed.
The rains are expected to continue in August in the country’s central, eastern and southwestern regions.