安倍首相、「特定非常災害」早急に指定　九州豪雨、自衛隊２万人へ倍増

　安倍晋三首相は７日、九州豪雨に関する非常災害対策本部の会合で、今回の災害を特定非常災害特別措置法に基づく「特定非常災害」に早急に指定するよう指示した。現地で安否不明者の捜索や被災者支援に当たる自衛隊員を２万人規模へ倍増する方針も表明した。
　首相は「一連の被害状況を確認しながら、被災者の生活再建に向けた動きをしっかり後押ししていく」と強調。関係機関に対し「被災者に寄り添いながら、先手先手で対応に万全を期してほしい」と求めた。
　特定非常災害に指定されると、被災者は運転免許証有効期限や飲食店営業許可の延長などの特例措置を受けられる。これまで阪神大震災や東日本大震災、西日本豪雨などで適用された。今回適用されれば、東日本に甚大な被害をもたらした昨年１０月の台風１９号に続き、７例目となる。（2020/07/07-19:32）

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday ordered related officials to swiftly designate devastating floods and landslides from recent torrential rains mainly in the Kyushu southwestern region as a specified extraordinary disaster under a relevant law.
   At a meeting of the government's headquarters in response to the heavy rains, Abe also indicated a plan to double the number of Self-Defense Forces members engaged in search and rescue operations and activities to support survivors to some 20,000.
   "We'll boost efforts to help afflicted people reconstruct their lives while checking the extent of damage," Abe said. He also called on related institutions to "make every pre-emptive move to deal with the disaster while standing shoulder to shoulder with victims."
   A designation as a specified extraordinary disaster would make special measures available to affected people, such as having the validity period of driver's licenses and eateries' business permits extended.
   The floods and landslides would be the seventh catastrophe to be designated as a specified extraordinary disaster. The past such disasters include the January 1995 earthquake that devastated the western city of Kobe and surrounding areas, the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami mainly in the Tohoku northeastern region and the 2018 torrential rains in western Japan.