Volume 116 - November 1, 2016

Iwate hosted this year's National Sports Festival!
The National Sports Festival and National Sports Festival for Peope with Disabilities is now finished!

The 2016 National Sports Festival for People with Disabilities! On the Bridge to a Bright Future

The "Land of Hope Iwate" 16th National Sports Festival for People with Disabilities was held during the 3-day period from October 22nd （Sat） to October 24th, 2016 （Mon）. Athletes with disabilities competed fiercely with each other to reach the top spot. The Crown Prince attended the opening ceremony on Saturday 22nd, which was held in the Track and Field Stadium at Kitakami Sports Park. Teams from all 47 prefectures and 20 designated cities attended the ceremony, comprising roughly 3,300 people.

The opening ceremony, toward a bright future

"I pray that this sports festival will become a pillar of strength for the reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and a bridge to a bright future. I hope that communities where people both with and without disabilities respect and support each other will continue to develop from here on,” said the Crown Prince in his speech following Governor Tasso's opening address.

Afterwards, the torchlight passed down from the National Sports Festival was lit. “We’ll express our gratitude for all the support we’ve received from the whole country by doing our best. We'll work to show our strength until the very end so that people can feel our bravery and passion," said Junichi Ota and Asuka Takahashi, athletes who competed with the Iwate team.

The closing ceremony, congratulating the hard-working athletes

On the 24th （Mon）, at the closing ceremony which Her Imperial Highness Hisako, Princess Takamado and Princess Ayako of Takamado attended, Governor Tasso made a final remark to the athletes, saying, "By showing us each and every person's potential and hard work in competing in the games, you have touched our hearts and given the people of Iwate and the whole nation courage.” After his speech, he passed on the National Sports Festival flag to Mayor Tokihiro Nakamura of Ehime Prefecture, which will be the host of the festival next year.

Including track and field, the sports meet had 17 athletic events which were held in 8 municipalities within the prefecture. Iwate's medal count was 55 gold, 42 silver, and 42 bronze, for a total of 139 medals – a new record for the prefecture.

A touching year bustling with sports festivals

With the winter portion of the National Sports Festival held in January, and both the National Sports Festival and the National Sports Festival for People with Disabilities in October, these festivals in Iwate represented a bridge toward reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and finished with great success.

The successful Reconstruction Photo Exhibit

The Land of Hope Iwate Reconstruction Photo Exhibit was set up during the period that both events were being held.

The exhibit, which was held as a cultural program during the sports festivals, was hosted at the Iwate Prefectural Information Center （Morioka） and the Kitakami Sports Park Wanko Plaza Venue （Kitakami）.

The theme of the exhibit was “With gratitude – telling people about the reconstruction today". Many people from all over the country saw Iwate as it takes steps towards recovery from the disaster.

291 New Public Housing Units to be Built Inland

On October 13th, 2016 （Thu）, it was officially announced that a total of 291 public housing units would be constructed inland in the 6 cities of Morioka, Hanamaki, Tono, Kitakami, Oshu, and Ichinoseki. They will be used by survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, who evacuated from the coast to inland areas.

In January this year, the prefecture administered a survey targeted at the 2,326 households that had evacuated inland. 1,951 households replied （a reply rate of 83.9%）. Some commented that they didn't want to live in public housing on the coast; others said they hadn't received any financial aid towards building a new home. As a result, it was decided that the government would build 291 units inland.

The prefecture is aiming to secure a location to build the housing by Spring 2017, and is currently looking for tenants. Construction work is due to finish in 2018.

Number and Location of Planned Inland Public Housing for Survivors

• Morioka 162 units
• Hanamaki 25 units
• Tono 14 units
• Kitakami 32 units
• Oshu 12 units
• Ichinoseki 36 units
• Ichinoseki （Senmaya area） 10 units

<total 291 units>

Construction Completed on 801 Public Housing Units （Ofunato）

On September 30th, 2016 （Fri）, Iwate Prefecture completed the construction of Shimotateshita Apartments, a 7-story, reinforced concrete, 58-unit building in Sakari, Ofunato. New residents began moving in on October 31st （Mon）.

Ever since 2011, when the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami destroyed 5,582 of Ofunato’s homes, the city has been working with the prefectural government to rehouse its residents.
Ofunato City built 290 housing units across 16 districts. Iwate Prefecture built 511 units across 9 districts, including Shimotateshita Apartments. This brings the total number to 801 units, across 25 districts.

As of late September, Ofunato has 464 temporary units in use across 25 districts （not including those currently being demolished）. Of the 801 new  units, 641 have been filled （419 by Ofunato City, 222 by Iwate Prefecture）.

“National Taiko Festival” Gains Support From Across Japan （Rikuzentakata）

On October 16th, 2016 （Sun）, the National Taiko Festival was held at Daiichi High School in Rikuzentakata. An audience of around 520 people enjoyed lively performances from 9 groups, including Legendary Taiko and Creative Taiko.

The festival began in 1989. This year’s show conveyed thanks to people across the country for their support and cooperation, as well as a message of encouragement to the victims of the earthquake in Kumamoto.
The well-practiced performances and beautiful stickwork earned cheers and applause from the audience.

The performers included the Kesen Fighting Tanabata Preservation Society （from Rikuzentakata）, Odate
Magewappa Taiko （from Odate, Akita） and Tajima Tatumikai’s Byakko （from South Aizu, Fukushima）, who shined brightly at the Japan Taiko Tournament by winning its junior category.

Casualties and Damage in Iwate （as of September 30, 2016）

• Deaths: 4,672; Missing: 1,123
• Buildings destroyed （residences only, total/partial）: 26,075

Thank you for all of your support! （as of September 30, 2016）

Donations for survivors: Around 18.5632 billion yen （93,854 donations）
Donations for reconstruction projects: Around 19.79252 billion yen （7,877 donations）
Iwate Learning Hope Fund donations: Around 8.55577 billion yen （18,328 donations）
※ This fund is to assist in the study and daily life of affected
children by encouraging sport and study activities.

Contact

News from Iwate’s Reconstruction, Volume 116. November 1, 2016.
Published by the General Affairs Division, Bureau of Reconstruction, Iwate Prefecture.
Phone: 019-629-6925
Editing & Printing: SYNAPSE

*News from Iwate's Reconstruction Volume 117 will be published on November 15th.