Volume 81 - March 15, 2015

Spring is finally just around the corner. The snow has begun to melt, and the greenery of the mountains and fields has begun to show itself.

A joint ceremony held by Iwate Prefecture and Noda Village

March 11, Wednesday, exactly four years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. A joint-memorial ceremony was held by Iwate Prefecture and Noda Village at the Noda Gymnasium in town. Around 550 people, including relatives of the deceased, were in attendance.

After the names of the 28 Noda victims were read aloud, the national ceremony was broadcast live. At 2:46 p.m., the moment the earthquake struck, all attendees participated in a moment of silence.

Governor Tasso, in his memorial address, expressed his hopes for the reconstruction: “We the people of Iwate will honor the memories of those who lost their lives that day and their hopes for the future of their region, as we continue to work together to achieve a full reconstruction.”

Minoru Hironai, a representative of the bereaved families, looked back on the past four years. “I won’t tell you not to forget the people who died. I just want people to remember their lives together every once in a while. The Great East Japan Earthquake is not something in the past. More disasters will happen in the future. I hope we can work on risk reduction to prevent further loss of life when these disasters occur.”

After the ceremony, guests including Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Reconstruction Shinjiro Koizumi joined bereaved relatives and many more in attendance as each laid a white chrysanthemum on the dais to commemorate those who lost their lives.

Other commemorative events were held in the disaster-affected coastal municipalities and around Iwate, in order to reaffirm our will to push toward reconstruction and remember that tragic day.

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Iwate lost 5,122 lives in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami （4,672 as a direct result of the disaster, 450 in related incidents）, and even today 1,129 people are still missing.
（Information accurate as of February 28, 2015）

Restoration begins on the JR Yamada Line between Miyako and Kamaishi

On March 7, 2015 （Sat.）, restoration work started on the JR Yamada Line between Miyako and Kamaishi stations （55.4 km）. This track was put out of commission due to the damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami four years ago.

Saturday saw a ceremony celebrating the start of the construction was held near JR Miyako Station. Around 90 people attended, including the president of JR East, Mr. Tomita Tetsuro, as well as Governor Tasso, the mayors of the cities, and other relevant parties.

In his address at the ceremony, President Tomita said, “We’re working to have this railway line contribute to the area by providing transportation.”

We are working on restoring the railway lines and continuing our progress on reconstruction and rebuilding the towns while closely working with the local governments.

Kamaishi selected as host of the 2019 Rugby World Cup

Kamaishi has been selected as one of the venues that will host matches during the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

This was announced in a RWCL board meeting on March 2, 2015 （Mon.）. 12 cities will host matches including Kamaishi and Higashiosaka （Osaka Prefecture）, which is home to the Hanazono Rugby Stadium.

Kamaishi's Unosumai area suffered devastating damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami but plans to build a new Kamaishi Unosumai Reconstruction Stadium （preliminary name）, which will be able to hold around 16,000 people.

The total cost of hosting the event is estimated around 2.9 billion yen, and is expected to be a jumpstart for the reconstruction of Kamaishi.

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 more about Masataka Kawamura, the director of Geotrail in Yamada Town!

• Masataka Kawamura, Director of Geotrail in Yamada

Casualties and Damage in Iwate （as of February 28, 2015）

• Human casualties/deaths: 4,672; Missing: 1,129
• Buildings destroyed （residences only, total/partial）: 25,713

Thank you for all of your support! （as of February 28, 2015）

Donations for survivors: Around 18.22276 billion yen （90,908 donations）
Donations for reconstruction projects: Around 19.63117 billion yen （7,237 donations）
Iwate Learning Hope Fund donations: Around 7.21844 billion yen （15,037 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.

Contact

News from Iwate’s Reconstruction, Volume 81. March 15, 2015.
Published by the General Affairs Division, Bureau of Reconstruction, Iwate Prefecture.
Phone: 019-629-6925
Editing & Printing: SYNAPSE

*News from Iwate's Reconstruction Volume 82 will be published on April 15.

• News from Iwate's Reconstruction