Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Monday visited the city of Kirishima, which was hit hard by torrential rains earlier this month.
"We want to create agricultural infrastructure that is more resistant to disasters and climate change," Koizumi said at a meeting with rice farmers of the city in Kagoshima Prefecture, as he unveiled plans to improve income insurance for disaster-related risks.
While the harvest of rice grown this year has started, concerns are growing over the impact of weather events such as heavy rain and high temperatures on crops.
Noting that prices of rice are too high, Koizumi said, "We will take necessary measures while carefully watching the situation."
With Kagoshima being a leading producer of livestock in Japan, the minister said the prefecture is expected to play a major role in the export of such products. "We need to provide support to ensure that the prefecture's efforts are not impeded by disasters."
Accompanied by Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, Koizumi inspected an irrigation channel damaged by earth and sand from the downpours and a flooded livestock market.
Having in mind the possibility of the central government designating torrential rains as a disaster of extreme severity to allow for greater state aid for reconstruction, Koizumi said, "It's important to firmly proceed with necessary work to help the prefectural and municipal governments conduct restoration projects without financial concerns."
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