Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday called for the nation to find the resolve to rebuild lives and areas devastated by the March 11 quake and tsunami that pummeled east and northeastern regions of Japan and put forward a motion of how this could be achieved.


HTML clipboard Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan is seen between reporters as he speaks during a news conference at his official residence in Tokyo April 12, 2011.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Speaking at a nationally televised news conference a month and a day after the Great Tohoku Earthquake and ensuing tsunami struck, the prime minister said that central and local government's efforts would switch from recovery to restoration.


"One month has passed since the greatest earthquake Japan has seen and now our efforts will shift to restoration of the quake- hit areas," Kan said.


The prime minister said that far from just reconstructing buildings and infrastructures destroyed by the quake and tsunami, he had a new vision regarding the nation's restoration process.


"The reconstruction (process) is not merely about restoring buildings back to their original state, the process will entail making them better than they were before," said Kan.


"I propose that above all we must build a region that is completely resistant to natural disasters, utilizing higher ground or plateaus. Secondly we must create a region that is economically friendly and thirdly, build a caring society that is kind to the weak," the prime minister said.


He went on to say that the restoration process must prioritize the wishes and opinions of those directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami and that the wisdom of experts nationwide would be called upon to achieve a forward-looking restoration agenda.


"The expertise and wisdom of officials, experts and academics, as well as the participation of local prefectural governors will be used to create a new reconstruction design counsel," Kan said.


VietNamNet/Xinhuanet