“Somebody has to do it” Reason for going to Nagatacho February 8, 16:07

Twelve years ago, one was an office worker in Iwate and one was a graduate student in Osaka.

Such two people are now going to Nagatacho and continuing lobbying activities for politicians.

"It's strange

in a society where people who survived a catastrophe want to die

."

Instead of letting it sit, the two actually took action.

What is your goal?

(Morioka Broadcasting Station Reporter Hiroyuki Takahashi)

people left behind

Tomoyuki Abe (48).

I am the secretary general of "Food Bank Iwate", which has an office in Morioka City, which I started nine years ago.

Twelve years ago, in 2011, when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, I was a salaried worker working for a medium-sized manufacturer, and it was decided that I would be moving to another company from April.

However, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck on March 11th.

When I saw the devastation on the news, I called my new employer to say no.

Mr. Tomoyuki Abe

``Is it okay to get a normal job now when there are people in trouble in front of me? What should I be doing? I thought it would be okay even if I didn't have a little income."

After that, Mr. Abe was asked by an organization that supports disaster victims who had evacuated to Morioka City, and became a staff member of the organization.

Just like a sales tour, we visited 800 households that had evacuated to the city one by one.

There, we learn that there are “those left behind”.

“There is no excuse for a society that makes people say they want to die”

This is the case of a single mother that Ms. Abe actually faced.

Both of my part-time jobs were affected by the disaster, and my income was cut off.

The woman moved to Morioka in search of her job, but was barely able to make ends meet.

Tomoyuki Abe:

"I felt from the bottom of my heart that no one could help me, and I couldn't even raise my voice."

In addition, there were many cases in which the physical condition of family members who needed nursing care and support deteriorated due to the earthquake, and they were exhausted from taking care of them, and were unable to apply for the support that they should have been able to receive.

There are words that I will never forget.

"I wish I was dead then"

Mr. Tomoyuki Abe:

“There are many people in need other than those whose houses have been destroyed. There is no excuse for a society that makes people who survived the tsunami say they want to die.

How did this situation arise?

The answer is in the "Risk Certificate".

The Disaster Countermeasures Basic Law obliges local governments to promptly issue a disaster certificate.

Victims can receive support money from the government based on this, and can be exempted from taxes and public utility charges.

It is necessary to enter temporary housing and disaster public housing, and it is also the standard for distributing various donations and donations.

It is like a passport that is indispensable for receiving support.

However, the damage certificate does not show the details of the person's actual situation, but only proves the degree of damage to the home.

In other words, if there is no damage to your home, you are not legally considered a disaster victim in need of help, and you will not receive much support.

encounter

Before the earthquake, Mr. Abe said that he thought that "people who are having trouble with their lives are 'self-responsibility'."

However, every time a disaster strikes across the country, we learn that there are victims left behind.

Because disasters only occur occasionally in certain areas, know-how and problem awareness are not easily shared.

I came to think that no matter where a disaster strikes, the people who support it will be found out and no one will be left behind.

In 2013, Mr. Abe worked with several organizations to submit a request to the Reconstruction Agency to expand the support system during disasters.

However, the response from the person in charge at the time was…

"Please don't do this again because it will only make us busy."

Although I talked to everyone I met, it was difficult for them to understand because the problems were wide-ranging.

I want a friend who can carry out activities together.

The following year, I met Mr. Taku Kanno, who was a researcher at a facility for handing down the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in Kobe City at the time.

Born in Osaka, Mr. Sugano got a job at a major private think tank after graduating from graduate school.

After three years of experience, he returned to graduate school and was involved in poverty issues through homeless aid organizations across the country.

It all started when he visited a park for an urban design lecture and saw homeless people.

I was 28 years old when the disaster happened.

Based in Sendai, he was responsible for coordinating a team of more than 10 support groups.

There, I determined policies and rules based on where and how much relief supplies were to be transported, and how many staff there were, and managed the situation.

Since then, based on our know-how in supporting the homeless, we have been working to support victims by visiting their homes to watch over them and help them rebuild their lives and find employment.

However, when I met Mr. Abe, Mr. Sugano had not yet investigated the contents of the disaster legislation in detail.

However, when he was a think-tank, he was involved in policy planning for a government agency, and heard many times from a lawyer who was involved in the revision of the Money Lending Business Act. say.

And then there was this exchange.

Kanno: "It's hard to change the law. Do you want to say that you changed it yourself

?

"

About that time, Mr.

Abe said,

"I finally found someone who understands me! I can't believe I met him for the first time!

" Because it is a story that requires the cooperation of Mr. Abe, I reflexively felt that it would not work if it was someone who said, 'I am me. I was

Disaster case management

While discussing with other NGOs and lawyers, Mr. Sugano named the form of support for disaster victims that he wanted to promote as "disaster case management," borrowing the name of the policy during Hurricane Katrina in the United States.

The greatest feature of disaster case management is that the support side approaches without waiting for applications from disaster victims.

We carefully listen to each disaster victim, find out what they are having trouble with and which support system they are eligible for, and support them from the application stage.

It is a support method to create an individual reconstruction plan.

In addition to the government, we also form teams with lawyers and social workers to provide one-stop solutions to complexly intertwined life issues.

For example, in the case of a single mother whom Mr. Abe met in Morioka City, it is possible to utilize the system of benefits and interest-free loans related to housing that are not conditional on the damage to the home, and connect it to an organization that supports employment and childcare. can.

Receiving public assistance is one of them, and while carefully confirming the person's intentions, we go to various counters together.

If disaster case management becomes effective, it will be possible to provide support that matches the actual situation of each individual affected by the disaster, regardless of whether or not there is a disaster certificate.

These are things that Mr. Abe and Mr. Sugano found while exploring the site of the earthquake, and what they actually did.

Five years after the disaster, the number of people living in prefabricated temporary housing in Sendai decreased to zero, faster than other local governments.

In 2018, Tottori Prefecture institutionalized disaster case management for the first time.

It was a tailwind for the two, but nationwide, the situation that "only local governments with high awareness are preparing" did not change, and the circle of activities could not be expanded.

Mr. Tomoyuki Abe:

"There are few people who can immediately answer what kind of support they can get from the government when they are hit by a disaster, and if the victims are elderly, sick or disabled, the application itself will not go through. It's easy to imagine being left behind, isn't it?In terms of cost, it would actually be cheaper for the government to take out the situation if they followed up thoroughly at the beginning and started rebuilding their lives as soon as possible. If the local government has no experience with the disaster, it is difficult for them to understand why it is necessary.

what are you looking for

2020 brings good news for the two of them.

Until then, the series of initiatives had been mostly hand-me-downs, but the Japan NPO Center, which is based in Tokyo, provided human and financial cooperation.

The two of them once again thought about how to realize "disaster case management".

▽ There is a limit to preaching the method on site every time a disaster occurs.

↓

▽ If the Nankai Trough megathrust earthquake occurs, the number of victims will far exceed that of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Still, no one should be left behind.

↓

▽ In order to introduce disaster case management nationwide, we need a “strong foundation” instead of relying on the awareness and operation of inexperienced local government officials.

The two traveled around the Tohoku and Kansai regions, conducting interviews with organizations and experts involved in support at the time of the earthquake and surveying the problems.

The key to disaster case management is the "leader" and the "financial resources", but the reality is that neither are guaranteed under the current legal system.

Changing the current law seems to be a roundabout way, but isn't it the shortest way?

What I ended up with was "legal reform."

Mr. Sugano researched which laws had to be changed and how they should be changed, going back to the discussions on a series of disaster legislation such as the Basic Act on Disaster Countermeasures, the Disaster Relief Act, and the Act on Support for Reconstructing Livelihoods of Disaster Victims, going back to the time of their enactment. I even read and understood the materials of GHQ under Japanese occupation.

After nearly a year of deliberation, we narrowed down the points we wanted to revise to the following points, which would facilitate consensus building as much as possible.

▽Purpose 1: Increase and strengthen the number of people responsible for disaster case management

▽Pillar 1 of the legal revision: Incorporate disaster response into laws related to social security

▽Content: Support for daily welfare (welfare, disability welfare, nursing care, etc.) enable people to use their know-how to support victims in the event of a disaster

▽Purpose 2: Securing financial resources and expanding support targets

▽Pillar 2 of the revision of the law: Welfare support such as "visiting victims' homes" is positioned in the Disaster Relief Act

▽Content: Financial resources for support activities are taken out by the government Support is not limited to the extent of damage to the home, but also considers tax payment status, disability grade, and level of nursing care required.

Symposiums on this theme were held in places such as Hokkaido, Shizuoka, Okayama, and Saga.

We will build momentum by inviting local NPOs and officials from ministries and agencies who will be responsible for supporting victims in the event of a disaster.

Can politics be your ally?

And Nagatacho is now energetically visiting.

I have met directly with more than 30 Diet members from both the ruling and opposition parties and appealed the problem.

This is to use political power to change the law.

And at the end of 2021.

Disaster case management was also taken up in the Diet, and Prime Minister Kishida responded, "I would like to promote the creation of a framework for 'disaster case management' in which various entities, including private organizations, work together."

In addition, Mr. Sugano found himself serving as a member of the government's panel of experts on disaster prevention as an "expert who is familiar with disaster laws and practices."

His speaking power has also increased.

However, the reactions of politicians are still mixed.

Starting with the Disaster Relief Law enacted in 1947, disaster legislation has a long history.

Moreover, the Cabinet Office, which has jurisdiction over disaster prevention, has many employees seconded from other ministries and agencies, making it difficult to sit down and consider the issue.

I still can't see the two people's goal of "changing the disaster law".

Finally, I asked him what drives him to continue to devote so much time and effort.

Mr. Tomoyuki Abe

“Is it the responsibility of those who know? I'm not an expert in the field, nor do I have a prestigious title.If I were to go to a person in need and what I would do, I would be in trouble together with them. Academics and lawyers have joined us, and other NPOs have offered to work with us.

Mr. Taku Sugano:

“It may not be easy for people to understand, but I think that people like this kind of activity that connects people and wisdom. It's a fact that many people are already involved, so even if you want to quit, you can't quit (laughs)."

Interview postscript

There is also a third pillar of legal reform.

Private companies and NPOs will also be included in the Disaster Relief Act, allowing non-local governments to be involved in the management of evacuation centers and support for victims.

It was pointed out from overseas that the environment of the evacuation centers after the Great East Japan Earthquake was "even lower than the international refugee support standards."

The sorting and management of goods is a specialty of distribution companies, and the preliminary surveys for issuing damage certificates are similar to the work of a non-life insurance company.

Local governments are supposed to take the lead in responding to disasters, but the idea is that this places a heavy burden on local government officials and causes confusion, so the aim is to promote cooperation with the private sector.

Three years ago, while interviewing a number of coastal NPOs, I asked Mr. Abe, "If there is someone you think I should meet, can you tell me?"

Surprised that he was in the neighborhood of Morioka, he immediately charged.

Borrowing Abe's words, I am one of those people who couldn't watch Mr. Abe drown.

Click here for the website of "311 Change Association" launched by Mr. Abe and Mr. Sugano

(Leaving the NHK site)

Morioka Broadcasting Station reporter

Hiroyuki Takahashi

Born in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture Joined the station in

2006

After working at the Hiroshima station, the social department, and the Narita branch office, since 2019 Morioka station

Father of 8-year-old and 5-year-old shogun