"Everyone, run away" A man who decided 10:55 on October 24

On that day, all the residents disappeared from the village-2167 people abandoned the village under the direction of one man. What was happening?
This time, the “notebook” that was not out of the doors was interviewed, and what kind of interaction was there between the villagers and the leaders? We approached decision and conflict.
(Takeshi Yamada)

Private “notes”

"There seems to be a private note. Please get permission to shoot."

In late August, I received instructions from my boss's desk.
I was relieved, but I felt that this might be a difficult interview.

The note was written when the Niigata Chuetsu earthquake occurred 15 years ago.

I was born in 1994 and was a 4th grader at that time. I only have the impression that Yuta Minagawa, a 2-year-old, was miraculously rescued from a landslide site involving multiple cars.

In August, I just moved to the Nagaoka branch office covering the Chuetsu region of Niigata Prefecture.
There is almost no knowledge of earthquakes. What to do ...

Man with seedling

Anyway, let's go to the site first.
The notebook is said to have been placed in the "Otararu" Reconstruction Exchange Center in the former Yamakoshi Village (currently in the Yamakoshi area of ​​Nagaoka City).

The facility, which was renewed in March, exhibited exhibits such as a clock that stopped when the earthquake occurred, a video deck crushed by earth and sand, and a photo panel showing the process of evacuating residents.

Is it “all village evacuation”? Yes, in that village, there was no single resident in the village at that time. I have never heard of any other major disasters.

At one of the exhibits, I found a poster of a man with a wide neck and a towel in his work clothes. Standing in the rice field and looking at this with a rice seedling.

The last mayor of Yamakoshi, Tadami Nagashima. It was he who decided to evacuate the whole village.

The year after the earthquake, Yamakoshi Village was merged into Nagaoka City and became a member of the Diet. He died of cerebral hemorrhage.

An unconventional appearance and a gentle smile.
The man who decided to evacuate the whole village was different from my image of thinking that he would have been a fierce leader.

I want you to show

The target notebook was stored in a glass case in the exhibition room.

There are 6 notebooks. It's closed and I don't know what's inside.

This is the exchange note between the village head and the villagers, "Let's do our best"

Japan has a series of disasters. There are many tops who receive violent criticism for mishandling. But for Nagashima, at least I have never heard such a voice.
How did he face the villagers and the huge earthquake? I wanted to know that.

When I inquired about the city hall's public relations, I was asked to get the permission of the staff who had temporarily kept this notebook in the neighborhood that supported Nagashima during the village chief.

“Well, I ’m not allowed to show you…”

He was reluctantly distressed.
The notebook reveals his name, and his feelings at that time are also written naked. From the viewpoint of privacy protection, it may be difficult.

“It is said that the memory of the Chuetsu earthquake has been weathered because of major disasters. The voices of the inhabitants at that time were able to regain refuge in the present era. It should also be important, and it should be helpful to see what the leaders who faced it thought.

It took about two hours to explain the purpose of the interview, and the staff showed understanding. However, there are still concerns that the residents will voice opposition.

The staff explained the purpose of the interview at the residents meeting in the Yamakoshi area and encouraged them. I also walked through the district's influential people on a daily basis to explain the intention of the interview. It wasn't until September that I got permission to interview. About two weeks have passed since I first saw the note ...

Throw away the village

October 23, 2004, 5:56 pm
An earthquake occurred in the Chuetsu region of Niigata Prefecture. A maximum seismic intensity of 7 was observed.
68 people were killed and about 17,000 buildings were completely destroyed.

In Yamakoshi village, which was in the mountains and was rich in green farming and farming, five people were killed and landslides and villages were submerged.

Nagashima, the village chief, traveled around the village from the day of the earthquake and realized that lifelines such as electricity and water were completely destroyed. The day after the disaster, they decided to evacuate the entire village to protect the lives of villagers.

The villagers walked to Nagaoka City's evacuation site, about 15 km away, to the place where SDF helicopters and cars could enter. Many people evacuated alone with no luggage.

It was the moment Nagashima let the villagers abandon their life in the village.

Good luck notebook

The evacuation life lasted long. It took about three years for all residents to leave the temporary housing.

“Let's do our best” says that Nagashima has begun to hear the voices of all 2,167 people who have a hard time in evacuation.

About 10 days after the entire village evacuation, November. Nagashima reorganized residents to evacuate by dividing them into 8 gymnasiums. The decision was to maintain the local community as much as possible.

The notebooks were placed in each of the eight shelters for about a month and a half from the evacuation shelter to the temporary housing of almost all residents. There are 6 of the 8 books that currently exist.

The first thing that impressed me after reading the contents was the description of the villagers.

I thought it was just a dissatisfaction with hard evacuation life and a request for living. What stood out was the words of encouragement to the village head and thanks for the support from the whole country. To be honest, it was unexpected.

In fact, many of the people I met in this interview also said, "Without the support of people from all over the country, I couldn't survive in a region like me." Is it the humility and warmth of the people of Yamakoshi?

Of course, opinions and requests from residents are also written. However, I was overwhelmed by the fact that Nagashima's description for it was indifferent.

"Yamakoshi early return want the country Prefecture not stand the prospect of future life is now that farmland be returned recover should be fast roads it is to plow the fields overlooking the terrible since the early recovery will be a definite aim of old age in the village of I'd like to ask for your support early. "


□ Reply from the village head □
“I'll do my best to be able to go home as soon as possible.

It's roughly like this.

According to officials, Nagashima lived there with a tent in the vicinity of the gymnasium, which is a shelter. The village staff gathered notes from the evacuation shelter, and returned every day at midnight and wrote a reply. Was the description of about 2 lines in full of fatigue exhausted?

"I'm a goldsmith (= community name), but I'm going to pick up the car for the first time on the 5th, but it seems to be only a driver. I'd like to go to the village to collect my luggage.


□ Reply of the village head □
"I promise not as much as I can, please wait a little"

“Make sure” ... As I read it, I noticed a characteristic.
In an indifferent description, Nagashima has never returned a negative result. He writes positive responses such as "I promise" and "I will do my best to be able to go home early".

The damage to Yamakoshi village was enormous, and some villages were submerged, so the restoration was completely unpredictable. In such circumstances, why did such a promise be made? I thought there would be a backlash when the promise was not kept.

"My responsibility"

I wanted to know what kind of thought I was writing and how Nagashima felt at that time, and I visited his wife, Hisako, who runs a guest house in the Yamakoshi area.

Hisako revealed the words Nagashima spoke about before deciding about the decision to evacuate the whole village.
“On one occasion, Nagashima said,“ I didn't consult anyone about the evacuation of the whole village. I did n’t want anyone to be held responsible. That ’s the responsibility of the village head. ”

“I think it ’s a sense of self-responsibility that the villagers’ lives were broken in some ways.

Is this because the notebook confirms its responsibility?

Let's ask the aides at the time. Mr. Masaru Aoki, the village manager, speculates that the notebook also supported the village chief.

There was no discussion based on the contents of this note at the meeting.
“The village chief always said,“ You have to be with the villagers. ”The villagers rely on themselves. For the village chief, with this note, we are confident in our own decisions. I was motivated to be able to get into action, and I think it meant to inspire myself by making a promise. "

Was that promise that seemed impossible to make you stand up?

There is another person who was looking directly at Nagashima who writes notes. Actually, there are still videos of Nagashima writing notes on NHK. NHK Special “Someday, Go to Home – Yamakoshi Village, 80th Day of Villagers” broadcast 3 months after the disaster.

I interviewed Takayuki Ichiyuki, who currently works as a desk at the Tokyo news office. At that time, he was the only reporter who interviewed the village head in a tent. I asked over the phone to Kazuyoshi Miyagi who was supporting the coverage of Typhoon # 19.

According to Kazuyoshi, Nagashima always returns to the tent after 11pm.

He said he had been taking notes with his favorite cigarette and calming his mind.
“Actually, there is no detailed information about what each resident thinks about the village chief. So I set up a notebook.”

Isn't the village chief's reply light? this is.
“I couldn't write the details in detail because I was a village chief. I think I was worried about the suspicion of the demons in the residents. Originally, I had confirmed to the staff, “What ’s going on. Of course I didn't tell who wrote it. It was a caring person.”

Nagashima, who had a harsh appearance as a village headman, was one of the reasons. However, although all the villages were evacuated, there were some concerns about how to restore Yamakoshi in the absence of financial resources.

How did it appear to the residents

I want to meet the residents who wrote the notes.
However, in 15 years, the Yamakoshi area, where the population was less than half that of the disaster, was hard to find, and it was difficult to report.

Every day I go to Yamakoshi and visit people who seem to have written. On the contrary, many people didn't even remember the notes.

Two weeks later, I finally met the person who wrote it.

Kazuo Koike is 68 years old. At that time, he entered an evacuation center with his blind mother.
"I don't have stress. When I was pushed into such a narrow space, my mother said I wanted to go home."

I missed it when I showed Koike-san a note. The description was this.

“When I was in Hidan, I thought that people were the hardest thing about being unable to hear things in the village as quickly as possible. Yamakoshi's people who weren't necessary How much better the mountain is in Nagaoka than in Nagaoka Lastly, I would like you to be a Yamakoshi where the villagers can live with peace of mind.

□ Reply from the village head □
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but I certainly received the heartfelt salmon. I will do my best to be able to go home as soon as possible.”


Mr. Koike said the notebook was very appreciated at the time.
“At the time, the head of the ward and the louder were talking directly to the village chief. I wasn't in a position to say it directly, so I could write my feelings with this notebook. I think it was also a saucer. ''

And he said, “This is a treasure”.
“Since there is an article about the video at the time, there is an article, but it is only in this note that the only way to interact with the village chief who is difficult to speak up.

"Baka village chief"

There were strict opinions written in the notebook.

Nagashima later answered the notes in an interview.

“I had a note in the shelter where people could write anything they thought. In one note,“ It's been 3 weeks, but I did n’t show anything. It was written `` This fool village chief. ''

“I was impressed with my heart. I just said I could do my best, I didn't say anything concrete. (Omitted) As I wrote in the notebook, humans couldn't see the goal. I can't do my best, just trying to run hard and running to that mountain is completely different.
(From Tadami Nagashima and Takushi Ishikawa, “I am Nagashima from Parliamentarian Villager I, Yamakoshi”)

After that, Nagashima told the villagers, “I will show you exactly when and how I can return to the village as soon as possible. I will make a recovery plan for that.”

Mr. Aoki, the village manager of the previous village, also says:
“I remember starting to say what to do on the way and on the way. I was surprised that the notes had an impact.”

As I read the notes, I was able to confirm that more and more residents said that they would like to return to their hometown, Koshi, as winter began.
"It's been a month and a half since I escaped from Yamakoshi Village. I would like to continue working with you in Yamakoshi Village where I love my hometown. "Neun" and talk while drinking tea and nodding many times. "

□ Reply from the village head □
“I will never forget your hard work for the rest of my life.

“I only live in Yamakoshi where I want to live. I want to make various vegetables in the field and produce beautiful strawberries.


□ Reply from the village head □
“Thank you, I understand how painful I feel. All of our thoughts are in Yamakoshi. All of our lives are in Yamakoshi.

He changed

Nagashima has begun to show concrete goals to residents.

Originally, Yamakoshi Village had been merged with Nagaoka City in April of the year after the earthquake.
I want to show the residents the recovery plan while I am the village head.
In mid-March, two weeks before the merger with Nagaoka City, Nagashima made a recovery plan.

“It was like a shell before the Chuetsu earthquake. It was like a digestion game after the merger was decided. But people changed completely after the earthquake. Each judgment, action, concentration, Everything was sharpened. ''

“I was a short-tempered person and sometimes angry with the staff, but no matter what the villagers told me, I never had a bad face. I loved Yamakoshi and loved the villagers.”

After entrusting Yamakoshi village to Nagaoka city and becoming a member of the Diet, Nagashima made the reconstruction a life work and was also involved in the reconstruction of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

6 notebooks and people's stories, I feel like I saw the “leader” who faced a huge disaster.

Large-scale power outages in Chiba and devastating damage from typhoon # 19. And disasters will continue.
It is not easy for a powerless person to resist it. At that time, pick up a voiceless voice, give hope, and move concretely. That's what it means to "get close to the victims" and it is the responsibility of the leader.

With that in mind, I left Yamakoshi, where the beautiful rice terraces were revived.

Takeshi Yamada, Nagaoka branch office reporter
Joined in 2018. Born in Kumamoto. Covered recovery from the police and Chuetsu earthquake. I was worried that I gained 10 kilos since I was assigned to Niigata.