On September 13, DPJ President Katsuya Okada visited the city of Joso in Ibaraki prefecture, which had suffered enormous damage after the Kinugawa River burst its banks following torrential rainfall caused by Typhoon Etau. There he met with Mayor Toru Takasugi and heard his requests to the DPJ regarding the ongoing disaster response, as well as visiting a local elementary school and sports center which were serving as evacuation centers to offer support and consolation to local residents forced to evacuate their homes. On the previous day, September 12, DPJ Secretary General Yukio Edano had paid a similar visit to areas of Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures which had suffered flood damage.
In his visit with Mayor Takasugi at the city office, Okada offered his sympathy for the suffering caused by the disaster, and went on to say, “The residents of Joso have been forced to experience hardship in their daily lives and some people are still missing. As mayor, you are doing your utmost to deal with this situation. The DPJ would like to provide you with our utmost support.”
Okada was accompanied on his visit to Ibaraki by the Chair of the DPJ Caucus in the House of Councillors, Akira Gunji, Director General of the International Department Yukihisa Fujita and member of the House of Representatives Akihiro Ohata, who are all elected from constituencies in the prefecture.
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