Volume 127 - July 2017

We will now bring you the news from Iwate's reconstruction.

The First "Iwate Reconstruction for Tomorrow" Seminar of 2017 （Morioka）

On June 24 2017 （Sat）, the first "Iwate Reconstruction for Tomorrow" seminar of 2017 took place in Morioka.

The seminar is organized by the local industrial-academic-governmental group, Iwate Tomorrow Design. This is its third year. Around 140 people with an interest in the reconstruction came from within and outside of the prefecture to attend.

In the first half of the event, after the Governor gave a greeting, Professor Jun Iio from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies gave the keynote speech. After explaining the problems facing modern Japan, he pointed out further problems that have been brought to light by the disaster. He then suggested that the reconstruction in Sanriku could become a pioneering model for solving those issues.

In the second half of the event, there was a panel discussion on the theme of "Considering the Reconstruction of the Present and Future, from Multiple Viewpoints". Eriko Totsuka from Pasona Tohoku Sosei spoke about her experience of meeting people from disaster-hit areas, and how she learned about the importance of projects that encourage exchange. Rina Shimomukai, a representative of the charity Nonnori Noda Story, talked about promoting Noda Village's charms via exchange tours and residential study programs.

Emily Hallams, a Coordinator for International Relations in Kamaishi City, spoke about conducting international relations by transmitting information abroad, and its importance for the reconstruction. It was a productive discussion, and the audience appreciated hearing the panelists speak from positions of personal experience.

Iwate Prefecture is Now Hiring Fixed-Term Employees for the 2017 Year

In order to tackle the increase in reconstruction work taking place after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, as well as Typhoon Lionrock in 2016, Iwate Prefecture is hiring fixed-term employees to work for prefectural or municipal organizations.

Period of employment: Three years, from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2021.
*People hired before April 1, 2018 will have contracts that run for 3 years from their starting date.

Type and number of positions: * Subject to change. Up-to-date information will be provided via the Iwate Personnel Commission's website.

Clerical work

Number of positions: 25

Main places of employment:
（Prefectural assignment） Branch offices or the Prefectural Office
（Municipal assignment） Rikuzentakata, Kamaishi, Iwaizumi, Tanohata

Work duties:
（Prefectural assignment） Clerical work relating to reconstruction efforts. Approval and authorization. Other general work.
（Municipal assignment） Reception work, consultations about rebuilding people's lives, taxes, site acquisition, compensation, etc.

Construction work

Number of positions: 47

Main places of employment:
（Prefectural assignment） Coastal branch offices or the Prefectural Office
（Municipal assignment） Kuji, Rikuzentakata, Kamaishi, Otsuchi, Iwaizumi, Tanohata

Work duties:
（Prefectural assignment） Planning, surveying, purchasing and supervising （seawalls, ports, fishing harbors, fishing grounds, roads, rivers, etc.）.
（Municipal assignment） Planning, surveying, purchasing and supervising （roads, water and sewerage, fishing harbors, rivers, farmland, etc.）.

Architecture

Number of positions: 1

Main places of employment:
（City assignment only） Rikuzentakata

Work duties:
Planning, surveying, purchasing and supervising.

Examination eligibility criteria

Clerical work: Must be born before, or on, April 1, 2000 （Must be 17 or older by April 1, 2017）

Construction work: Must fit one of the following criteria （as of late June 2017）:

1. 1st or 2nd-class engineer operation & management qualification
2. Experience equivalent to a 2nd-class engineer operation & management qualification

Architecture: Must fit one of the following criteria （as of late June 2017）:

1. 1st or 2nd-class architect license
2. Practical experience equivalent to a 2nd-class architecture qualification

Selection Process

Clerical work: Formal test / Essay / Personal interview
Construction / Architecture: Application essay / Resume of experience / Personal interview
Inquiries:
Iwate Personnel Commission
Phone: 019-629-6241　Mail: DD0002@pref.iwate.jp

Construction of 895 Public Homes Completed （Rikuzentakata）

Iwate Prefecture has completed construction of the Wakinosawa public housing for disaster survivors （a 3-story, reinforced concrete building with 60 units） in Yonezaki, Rikuzentakata. New residents have started moving in.

The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami damaged the houses of 8,029 households in Rikuzentakata. The City has been working with the Prefecture to build new public facilities to rehouse these victims. Rikuzentakata City constructed 269 units across 6 complexes, and Iwate Prefecture constructed 626 units across 5 complexes. In total, 895 units have been completed, across 11 housing complexes.

As of July 12, residents have moved into 677 of the new public homes. 451 of these are under city management, and 226 are under prefectural management. This puts the occupancy rate at 76%.

People with certain circumstances will be able to extend their occupancy in temporary housing starting from the 2018 fiscal year. Because of this, Rikuzentakata City will be consolidating their temporary housing units based on the results of a housing reconstruction survey from last August, and also inform residents about the extended occupancy period.

High-quality Rental Housing for Survivors - Government Authorizes New Districts （7 coastal towns）

On July 4 （Tue）, the Reconstruction Agency authorized Iwate Prefecture's plan for special regulations for high-quality rental housing for survivors, which created a new reconstruction zone （note: zones have different regulations that encourage development）. This is the sixth time a zone has been created after an application by a prefecture.

If rental housing is built that fulfils certain conditions within a reconstruction residential district, it is eligible for either special tax repayments or tax exemptions. There are 18 of these districts within 7 cities, towns, or villages: Miyako, Ofunato, Rikuzentakata, Kamaishi, Otsuchi, Yamada and Noda.

The new measures will increase the construction of private sector rental housing, and provide additional options for empty sites not earmarked for anything else. It will also help people hoping to move to Iwate find accommodation. This is expected to lead to an increase in the residential population in these 7 coastal municipalities.

For more information, please consult Iwate Prefecture's website, or contact the Bureau of Reconstruction's Reconstruction Promotion Division.

Inquiries
Reconstruction Promotion Division
Phone:019-629-6945

The affected regions

Miyako: Taro, Kuwagasaki & Koganji
Ofunato: Ofunato Station area
Rikuzentakata: Takata, Imaizumi
Kamaishi: Katagishi, Unosumai, Ureishimatsubara, Heita, Tobu
Otsuchi: Machikata, Akahama, Ando, Kirikiri
Yamada: Yamada, Orikasa, Osawa
Noda: Jonai

Feature

What happened that day? In this section, we will be looking back at the disaster in each coastal town.

Kuji City

• Tsunami height:
  12.0 m Hirono/North Kuji Coast
  13.7 m Kuji Bay
  14.5 m South Kuji coast
• Deaths: 2
• Missing people: 2
• Injured people: 10
• Destroyed buildings: 278

Kuji suffered extensive damage

The total financial cost of the damage in Kuji came to 31,090,150,000 yen. This includes damage to offices and factories in the commercial/industrial sector, as well as industries like fishing, tourism, forestry, construction, and agriculture.

Harbor facilities were quickly rebuilt

The sediment washed in by the tsunami was a major obstacle for ship navigation. However, after some exhausting removal work, large ships were able to arrive in port again on March 25th. On March 26th, large government ships carried relief supplies into port.

From April 5th, Kuji was able to accommodate trawlers from Miyako or Kamaishi, and fishing boats from other regions. This was of huge benefit to their reconstruction.

Hirota Clinic Completed, Treatment Services Begin （Rikuzentakata）

Rikuzentakata City’s National Health Insurance clinic, the Hirota Clinic was the only clinic on the Hirota peninsula. It was destroyed in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and its medical supplies were lost. Services resumed at the untouched Hirota Elementary School the following day, and treatment has been conducted at a temporary facility since August 2011.

Construction of a new facility has now been completed on elevated land behind the school. Treatment services started on June 26 （Mon）.

Next to the clinic is Hirota Community Center, which has also been recently completed. This means that the site won't just be a medical facility; it will also be a place for local residents to meet.

Coastal Development Bureau and the Hokkaido Iburi Development Bureau Sign an Agreement （Hokkaido）

On June 19 （Mon）, Iwate’s Coastal Regional Development Bureau signed a collaborative agreement with the Hokkaido Iburi Development Bureau.

The agreement commits to establishing a regular ferry service between Miyako Bay and Muroran Bay in Hokkaido from June next year. The ferry will be a foundation for tourism, exchange and industry, and will strengthen links between the Iwate coast and the Iburi area, giving a boost to both regions.

At the signing ceremony, Mr. Komukai, Director of the Coastal Regional Development Bureau, spoke of his hopes regarding the new agreement. "I want this link between the two regions to lead to further reconstruction and recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami", he said.

The two regions have many things in common, including geoparks and steel industry. Further plans include the creation of a round-trip tourism route using the ferry, and collaboration between manufacturing companies. Cooperation in many different fields is expected to expand from here on.

Come to Sanriku! Sanriku Event Information

8/4 （Fri） - 8/5 （Sat）
Sanriku Ofunato Summer Festival （Ofunato）
Venue: Morikawa Kasenshiki Park, Kyassen Ofunato Parking Lot, around Ofunato Fish Market
This festival offers grilled squid and scallops, a scallop fishing experience, and a perfect view of Hyotenjima Island. There will be displays of tiger dancing, and other folk performances. An open campus event will be held concurrently with the festival at the International Coastal Research Center, University of Tokyo.
Inquiries: Ofunato Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Phone: 0192-26-2141

8/12 （Sat）
Kamaishi Evening Fireworks 2017 （Kamaishi）
Venue: Kamaishi Bay
The event coincides with the 80th anniversary of the first display, and the 160th anniversary of the origin of modern iron manufacturing. This year sees the return of fireworks over the water, for the first time since the disaster. Fireworks shot from the land to the ocean decorate the night sky with rising pillars of flame.
Inquiries: Kamaishi Tourism and Products Association
Phone: 0193-27-8172

8/18 （Fri）
The 28th North Ou “Nanyadoyara” Competition （Hirono）
Venue: Ono district, Ono Elementary School
Nanyadoyara is a dance performed in south Aomori and north Iwate during Japan’s Obon festival celebrating our ancestors. It is said to be oldest in Japan. Over 1,000 performers dance along the streets, showing the character of all the local communities in one dance.
Inquiries: Hirono Regional Promotion Division
Phone: 0194-77-2111

See the northernmost “Ama” divers in action （Kuji）

Starting on July 1 （Sat）, you will be able to see traditional ama divers （female free divers） at the Kosode Coast in Kuji. Watching the ama, the northernmost such divers in Japan, is a Kuji summer tradition. The divers, clad in wave-patterned kimonos and white slippers, free dive 8m underwater to retrieve sea urchin. You can eat the sea urchin right there on the spot, or go next door to the Kosode Ama Center to eat classic summer foods like sea urchin on rice or grilled seafood.

When to go:
Dates: Weekends and holidays from July to September
* Bookings for groups of 10 or more are accepted on weekdays.
Times:

1. 10:20～
2. 11:20～
3. 14:20～

Fee: \500 （per person）

Inquiries
Kosode Ama Center
Phone: 0194-54-2261

Explore Sanriku! Goishi Coast Campsite - no equipment required （Ofunato）

The Goishi Coast, in the Sanriku Reconstruction National Park, is a 6km stretch of coast on the south side of the Massaki Peninsula in Ofunato. It's home to the Goishi Coast Campsite, which is surrounded by tourist sites.

The campsite has an auto camp site for caravans or motor homes, and a free site where you can set up tents yourself. You don't have to stay overnight, either; you can enjoy daytrip camping too.

You can even enjoy a barbecue - no preparation or equipment needed. Knives, chopping boards, and other equipment are available for rent, and meat or seafood sets can be preordered （3,500 yen for 3-4 people's worth）.

There's plenty to see, like Anatoshiiso （a set of three mysterious rock arches）, Kaminariiwa （a rock formation that makes a sound like thunder）, and the Goishi-zaki Lighthouse, which has been officially named a "romantic lighthouse". There are walking paths through the nearby pine forest that overlook the coast, and exceptional views from the numerous observation decks scattered along the route.

Fees

Auto Site: 4,000 yen per night / 2,000 yen day trip
Free Site: 1,500 yen per tent, per night / 1,000 yen day trip
* Plus a 500 yen fee per person （free for kids under 5）
Dates: July 7 – October 31
Inquiries:
Goishi Coast Information Center
Phone: 0192-29-2359（8:30～17:15）

• More information （JPN）（外部リンク）

Feature

Many young people are diligently helping the affected area of Sanriku move toward a full reconstruction. The section “People for Sanriku’s Future” introduces these young people and their powerful feelings.

Click the link to read about Eriko Totsuka and her company Pasona Tohoku Sosei, which brings together people from Tokyo and people from Kamaishi.

• Eriko Totsuka of Pasona Tohoku Sosei

Casualties and Damage in Iwate （as of June 30, 2017）

• Deaths: （direct） 4,672, （indirect） 463; Missing: 1,122
• Buildings destroyed （residences only, total/partial）: 26,077

Thank you for all of your support! （as of June 30, 2017）

Donations for survivors: Around 18.56738 billion yen （94,872 donations）
Donations for reconstruction projects: Around 19.84552 billion yen （8,235 donations）
Iwate Learning Hope Fund donations: Around 9.02233 billion yen （20,282 donations）
※ This fund is to assist in the study and daily life of affected
children by encouraging sport and study activities.

• To make a donation to aid in Iwate's reconstruction, click here.

"Machisapo Iwate" app for Android and iOS

"Machisapo Iwate" is an app that promotes Iwate's tourism, food and more. In late July, it was combined with "e! Iwate" and rereleased.

You can use it on smartphones running the following operating systems.

• Android OS 4.4 or later
• iOS 9.0 or later

• Machisapo Iwate （JPN）（外部リンク）

Contact

News from Iwate’s Reconstruction, Volume 127. July 2017.
Published by the General Affairs Division, Bureau of Reconstruction, Iwate Prefecture.
Phone: 019-629-6925
Editing & Printing: SYNAPSE

*News from Iwate's Reconstruction Volume 128 will be published on August 25th.