Last month, parts of Japan were hit with devastating torrential rain. Game maker Square Enix has donated 5 million yen ($62,257) as part of an effort to help out.
Japan’s rainy season is typically between May and July. This year, the rains were particularly heavy in parts of the country.
In an official release, Square Enix announced:
Square Enix Group (the “Group”) extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to all those affected by the torrential rains in July, 2021.
With the hope to support the earliest possible relief and recovery of affected regions, the Group has made a donation of 5 million Japanese yen to the Japan Red Cross Society.
As Reuters reported in July, heavy rains hit the resort city of Atami, which is located approximately an hour from Tokyo. Landslides have left three people injured, five people missing, and another 22 people dead.
“There may be more heavy rainfalls and we need to be taking the highest caution,” said Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the time.
A week later, heavy rain warnings were issued for three prefectures on the southern island of Kyushu, with over 120,000 people ordered to evacuate. Later that month, there were also landslides Fukui Prefecture, and around 64,000 residents were ordered to evacuate in 16 different areas.
Landslides are an unfortunate part of Japan’s rainy season. However, the one in Atami, Shizuoka was especially tragic due to the loss of life and property. That landslide was caused by building methods on a mountain that used a landfill for property development. The landfill gave way, collapsing and destroying 122 houses, along with the aforementioned loss of life.
“We are concerned over the issue, and we have to consider inspecting all mounds across Japan jointly with other related ministries,” said land minister Kazuyoshi Akaba as quoted by Asahi News.
“We need to deal with this issue firmly,” he added. “We have to find out whether there are any other dangerous mound areas that could potentially cause another disaster.”
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