Japan May Designate Iwate Wildfire as Severe Disaster: Ishiba

   Tokyo, March 5 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government will mull designating the wildfire raging in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, as a severe disaster eligible for massive state aid, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday.
   "We'll make sure we respond quickly and appropriately, so that disaster victims can feel at ease and financial burdens on local governments are small," he told a meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament.
   The committee, attended by all cabinet members, began its debate on the fiscal 2025 draft budget, which passed the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, on Tuesday.
   Responding to a question from Masayo Tanabu, secretary-general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's members in the Upper House, Ishiba explained that the government will start the assessment process for the possible designation soon after progress is made in addressing the fire.
   Asked about the provisional gasoline tax surcharge, which opposition parties seek to scrap early, Ishiba said, "I don't think the issue can wait indefinitely." He added that alternative financial resources need to be secured in order to abolish the surcharge.

(2025/03/05-14:21)

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