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2016/03/11
Statement on the 5th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake
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On March 11, DPJ President Katsuya Okada issued the following statement.
Today marks the 5th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Recalling once again the many precious lives that were lost, I would like to offer my deepest condolences. Furthermore, I would like to extend my sincere sympathy to all those who suffered as a result of the disaster, in particular those evacuees who are still being forced to live their lives in exile, or in temporary housing.
Utilizing the experience and wisdom gained when on the frontline of the disaster response, the Democratic Party of Japan has continued to make working toward the recovery of the affected areas our number one priority. We will continue to work wholeheartedly toward disaster reconstruction, with efforts led by the DPJ Great East Japan Earthquake Recovery and Restoration Promotion Headquarters and the DPJ Fukushima Number 1 Nuclear Power Plant Accident Response and Fukushima Reconstruction Promotion Headquarters.
In Iwate and Miyagi prefectures work to provide public housing for disaster victims and move settlements to higher ground is fully underway, but still very few of these projects have been completed. We will focus all our efforts on restoring safe and secure residential areas, local communities and workplaces. The concentrated reconstruction period will expire at the end of fiscal 2015, but we believe that the state should basically take responsibility for dealing with such matters in fiscal 2016 and beyond. We will urge the government to maintain and expand the core of the unprecedented assistance measures implemented by the DPJ administration.
Difficult obstacles still remain in the journey toward the revitalization of Fukushima. These include delays in the decommissioning of Tokyo Electric Power Corporation’s (TEPCO)’s Fukushima No. 1. nuclear power plant, unchecked leaks of contaminated water, and the economic damage caused by the stigma of the accident. The DPJ will continue to propose concrete measures to eliminate residents’ anxieties, such as ensuring that health checks are properly implemented in accordance with the provisions of The Assistance for Children and Other Disaster Victims Act. We will continue to urge the government and TEPCO to engage in responsible efforts to ensure that the hopes of nuclear disaster evacuees “to return home, if not now then at some point in the future” do not go unanswered.
The DPJ promised the Japanese people that “There can be no revitalization of Japan without the reconstruction of Fukushima and the revitalization of all the affected areas.” Holding these words close to our hearts, we will continue to work closely with the victims of the disaster in order to bring about the speedy recovery of the affected areas.
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