Japanese PM Takaichi visits quake-hit southern region as cleanup begins in intense heat

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets evacuees as she visits an evacuation centre in Hikawa, southern Japan, on Aug 3, 2026. (Photo: AP/Kyodo News) 03 Aug 2026 06:38PM TOKYO: Residents in Japan's quake-hit southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto put out heaps of debris for collection and the prime minister visited as the region baked under intense heat.The heat and a lack of water supplies have added to the challenges in the severely damaged areas where Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi briefly visited for the first time since a magnitude 7.1 quake hit Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Jul 28.Thirty-eight people died during the quake, including one who died of apparent heat stroke while taking shelter in a car in hot weather and one other whose cause of death i