Kan pushes safe and ecological housing

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Prime Minister Naoto Kan's blueprint for rebuilding the areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake will focus on safe housing, the fisheries industry and ecological technology.

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Kan pushes safe and ecological housing
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Prime Minister Naoto Kan's blueprint for rebuilding the areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake will focus on safe housing, the fisheries industry and ecological technology.

"We will reconstruct with the dream of building a great Tohoku region and a great Japan," Kan told a news conference Friday, April 1. "We hope our new city planning will become a model for the world."

Kan said he intends to have new homes built on higher ground by leveling mountainous areas, with residents commuting to fishing ports and fisheries firms along the coast.

The idea of relocating housing from the lowlands to elevated areas was broached by Kimiaki Toda, mayor of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, who recently spoke with Kan over the phone.

Kan said eco-friendly features would be included when rebuilding, such as district heating systems that use biomass energy, something Kan has been eager to promote. He also said welfare-oriented services and facilities would be a key feature of the new communities.

Kan plans to set up by April 11 a council of officials from the quake-hit regions and experts, which will discuss city planning and other issues such as land utilization.

"I hope opposition parties will cooperate with the government so we can work together to develop reconstruction plans," he said.

Nationalization of the devastated areas is expected to be a key topic for the panel because the work requires close coordination with affected municipalities and residents. Kan said the government will try to satisfy local authorities and landowners and thereby win their approval.

Kan indicated several supplementary budgets will be put together for recovery and reconstruction. He said he wanted to compile the first extra budget by the end of April, which will finance immediate measures such as removing debris, building temporary housing for quake victims and securing employment for them.

Kan said he is prepared for a "protracted battle" to bring the destabilized reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant under control.

Referring to the future of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant, Kan said, "I want (the utility) to do its best as a private-sector company, in principle."

He said the government will also shoulder a substantial amount of the compensation to be paid for the radioactive contamination from the nuclear power plant.

On Saturday morning, Kan visited Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, to examine the damage wreaked by the earthquake and tsunami and to listen to the views of local officials and residents, which he will use to refine his reconstruction plans.

Much of Rikuzentakata was submerged by the tsunami, and its city hall was destroyed. Of the 23,000 residents, 1,000 have been confirmed dead, while 1,400 others are still missing.

Kan arrived on a Self-Defense Forces helicopter at a little past 8 a.m. after a two-hour flight from the Prime Minister's Official Residence.

He talked with quake victims at an elementary school gym, where 150 evacuees are staying, for about 20 minutes.

Evacuees told him they are anxious about the future and that they are at a loss as to where to build their new houses. Kan said the government will provide as many houses as possible and advised that homes on higher ground are safer from a long-term perspective.

He was also briefed by Iwate Governor Takuya Tasso and Rikuzentakata Mayor Futoshi Toba about the damage and the prospects for recovery.

Later on Saturday, Kan visited J-Village, a soccer training center in Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, where officials of Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the SDF have been stationed to deal with the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant 20 kilometers away.

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