As more than 10 days have passed since the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated northeastern Japan, the government should quickly review its setup so that it can carry out its relief operations as efficiently and effectively as possible.
The extent of the damage wrought by the March 11 quake dwarfs that of Japan's last big disaster — the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake — and Prime Minister Naoto Kan must act accordingly. The government must also work to ensure that the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is overcome as quickly as possible.
To alleviate the burden on Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, who has been busy announcing the measures that are being taken to cope with the nuclear crisis, Mr. Kan appointed former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku to serve as deputy chief Cabinet secretary.