It has been 10 years since the earthquake that observed shaking with a seismic intensity of 6 or higher occurred in Sakae Village in the northern part of Nagano Prefecture in 12 days.
An event was held in the village to pray for reconstruction, and the residents looked back on their 10-year history and mourned the victims.
On March 12, 2011, the day after the Great East Japan Earthquake, a tremor with a seismic intensity of 6 or higher was observed in Sakae Village, which caused damage to nearly 700 houses and killed three people due to stress caused by evacuation. It was recognized as a related death.
On the 12th, 10 years after the earthquake, the village held the "Reconstruction Torch Festival" to pray for reconstruction, and about 100 people including residents gathered at the venue.
In this, Mayor Mikio Miyagawa said, "I have been walking with various thoughts in my heart for the past 10 years. I am grateful for the courage and encouragement from all over the country. There are many challenges, but I look forward step by step. I want to create the future together with the villagers and children. "
And the inhabitants offered silence and mourned the victims.
In addition, the snow monument engraved with the letters "Kibo" and the lanterns made by the children were lit to pray for the further reconstruction and future development of the village.
The Torch Festival, which has been held since the earthquake, is the last to be held in its current form due to the aging of the bearers and the progress of reconstruction.
At that time, a 70-year-old woman whose home was half destroyed said, "It's been 10 years since I had to leave the village until my home was repaired, and I had a lot of trouble, but I want the village to become a village where children can have hope." I was talking.
Also, a 31-year-old woman who emigrated from the Kanto region six years ago said, "I didn't know about the disaster before I came to the village. I want to tell my children about the disaster." It was.
Over the last decade, broken roads and bridges have been restored in the village, and the scars of damage have become less noticeable.
On the other hand, the population has decreased by 25%, and the reconstruction situation of agriculture, which is a key industry, is also different for each village, and the issue is how to connect the reconstruction from the disaster to the development of the entire village.