Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Kumamoto Prefecture on Monday to assess the damage inflicted by deadly torrential rain and flooding in the area earlier this month.
During his first tour of the devastation, Abe visited the Senjuen nursing home where 14 residents died after the Kuma River flooded, and offered prayers for the victims. In the village of Kuma, he met with Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima, whose prefecture has seen 64 people killed in the disaster that struck a wide area of the Kyushu region.
"Under the policy of doing all we can, we will make utmost efforts to achieve early recovery," Abe told the governor. Kabashima called for more help from the government.