End of "intensive reconstruction period"?

March 5, 2015

Gov't considering having local gov'ts shoulder post-disaster reconstruction costs

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150305p2a00m0na016000c.html

Reconstruction Minister Wataru Takeshita has said that the government will consider having local governments in disaster-hit regions shoulder some of post-disaster reconstruction expenses in fiscal 2016 and thereafter.

The government planned to foot all the bills to rebuild Japan's northeast, which was hit by the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, ensuing tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident, during the so-called "intensive reconstruction period" between the 2011 and 2015 fiscal years. As to what should be done after the intensive reconstruction period ends, Takeshita said, "It will be difficult to continue the rebuilding projects (solely on government funding)."

With respect to government-led decontamination work in the "difficult-to-return zones" where yearly radiation levels are above 50 millisieverts due to the outbreak of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, Takeshita said that the government will place priority on decontaminating those areas with important infrastructure. On whether to decontaminate the entire "difficult-to-return" zones, he said, "That's impossible."

Takeshita revealed the plans during an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun and other media outlets ahead of the fourth anniversary on March 11 of the triple disasters.

The government set the overall reconstruction period for 10 years through fiscal 2020, and is shouldering all expenses for reconstruction projects during the intensive reconstruction period -- the first half of the 10-year-reconstruction period -- out of consideration for the scale of the earthquake disaster as well as the fact that many local governments in the affected regions are on weak fiscal footing. Takeshita characterized this as "the most extraordinary of extraordinary measures." Regarding principal reconstruction projects such as land development and building disaster restoration housing and embankments, he said, "There is sufficient meaning in doing these projects (completely at government expense)."

Meanwhile, Takeshita said the government would hold talks with local governments in the disaster-stricken regions on ways of distributing expenses and securing financial resources because it would be difficult for the government to cover costs for all projects in fiscal 2016 and thereafter. In light of the harsh fiscal conditions, the government is apparently aiming to streamline reconstruction projects by asking local governments to shoulder some of the costs. But the talks are expected to run into rough waters as Miyagi, Fukushima and Iwate prefectures are seeking that the central government continue to foot the bill for all reconstruction projects.