Cleanup work continued during the morning, but most residents stopped shortly after noon as the heat became increasingly dangerous. Residents said they had abandoned cleanup operations because the heat made them fear for their lives. "The way we dealt with previous disasters will not work," Hashimoto said. "Politicians talk about nuclear submarines, missiles, a national defense force and changing the names of Self-Defense Forces ranks, as though that alone means they are responsible for national defense," he said. "The fact that there are no measures available now shows the state of Japan's so-called national defense," Hashimoto said.