## Section 3 Promoting Post-Disaster Town Reconstruction and Securing Stability of Residency

To give the disaster victims a prospect as to when they will be able to secure a residence, we are working on the promotion of post-disaster town reconstruction and securing the stability of residency, taking into account the “Residence Recovery Construction Timetable” that organizes the prospects for the provision of building lots for private residences and the completion of disaster public housing based on reports from local governments. As the reconstruction projects progress full-scale in the disaster affected areas, we need to compensate for the lack of personnel and know-how in the disaster affected municipalities to help the projects progress smoothly.

For these reasons, in addition to supporting the progress of projects by providing personnel support to disaster-affected local governments, implementing procurement methods for relieving the burden of procurement operations in disaster-affected local governments, and utilizing the Urban Renaissance Agency, we also disseminate information by providing technical support through notifications regarding procedures for the efficient execution of reconstruction projects and by posting the “Reconstructive City Development Index”, an online website for compiling support initiatives.

## (1) Promoting Post-disaster Town Reconstruction

For post-disaster town reconstruction, various projects are being carried out, such as the “disaster prevention group relocation project”, which helps people whose homes are in the zones considered unsuitable for residences, and the disaster urban area land recovery and readjustment project, which supports comprehensive town building by combining work on the public facilities, such as building sites and roads with the site reconstruction work on tsunami disaster affected urban areas, as well as the preparation of building sites for relocation to higher grounds.

As of the end of March 2016, the disaster-prevention group relocation project secured the consent of the Minister, which is a statutory procedure required for starting the project, for all 331 districts in which implementation of the project was planned under the “Residence Recovery Construction Timetable”; 328 districts started site preparation works and 266 districts completed the work. As for the land readjustment project, project approval was obtained and construction work started in all 50 districts under the Residence Recovery Construction Timetable, and eight of those districts completed the construction work.

## (2) Securing Stability of Residency

For victims who are able to build or obtain housing by their own means, interest rates are lowered for disaster recovery housing loans provided by the Japan Housing Finance Agency. Disaster recovery housing loans are also provided to victims who only suffered damages to their real estate. Pre-existing loans were given up to five-year extensions on payments and payment deadlines, as well as interest rates being lowered for loans amid payment.

Victims who face difficulties in building or obtaining housing by their own means are being provided public housing (disaster public housing) by local governments. In addition to distributing grants to offset the cost of maintenance in these facilities and expenses resulting from lowering rent for victims, we are devising special arrangements concerning the requirements for occupant qualification and assignment of housing facilities.

Moreover, in response to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant accident, we plan to secure the stability of residency for refugees residing in evacuation order areas (evacuees or returnees) by providing them the same accommodations as the disaster victims, such as moving into disaster public housing.