Buds of hope seen from the "map of reconstruction" March 7, 17:37
It will soon be 12 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Most of the infrastructure development, such as housing, roads, and disaster prevention measures, has been completed.
However, we are facing the harsh reality of a declining population.
In order to investigate the current location of the affected areas, NHK created and analyzed a map of reconstruction based on the data.
From the map, we also found "hope buds" looking to the future.
("Recovery map" coverage group)
What is a “recovery map”?
What is happening in the affected areas?
In order to understand the actual situation, we focused on the "national census" this time.
It is the country's most important statistical survey and is conducted once every five years for people and households living in Japan.
The data includes not only population but also a wide range of information such as age and occupation.
Based on this data, we analyzed the current location of the affected area.
The visualization of this is the “Map of Reconstruction.”
This time, we analyzed the situation in three stages: 2010 before the earthquake, 2015 during the reconstruction project, and 2020, which is nearing completion.
In addition, the changes were visualized in detail not only for each municipality, but also for each 500m square area.
You can see more specifically on the map where and what kind of changes are occurring.
Decrease of 140,000 people in 10 years
First, let's look at the most basic "population" change.
Orange indicates an increase, blue indicates a decrease, and the height of the bar indicates the magnitude of the increase or decrease.
Of the three prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, coastal areas that were severely damaged by the tsunami and nuclear accident saw a combined decrease of about 140,000 people over the 10-year period from 2010 to 2020.
why did it decrease?
Why does the outflow of young people not stop?
Among the municipalities affected by the disaster, Ishinomaki City lost 20,000 people, the largest number.
Increases have been seen in inland areas developed by the city for people displaced by the tsunami, while areas along the coast have decreased.
In addition to places designated as disaster risk zones where houses cannot be built, the blue color stands out in a wide range of areas such as the city hall and the central city area where JR Ishinomaki Station is located.
It is believed that people moved and concentrated in the inland areas developed by the city.
Looking at the increase and decrease by age group, a total of 8,598 people in their 20s and 30s decreased.
The decline in the younger generation is striking.
Last year, Ishinomaki City conducted a survey of 268 students attending the local Ishinomaki Senshu University. exceeded 70%.
The most common reason for this was the lack of employment opportunities.
There is also a fear that the outflow of the younger generation, who will support the local economy in the future, will continue.
Professor Honda, Ishinomaki Senshu University
“As a university, we are trying to convey the benefits of finding a job locally. I think I will decide to find a job at the place of
After the earthquake, while the construction industry grew in Ishinomaki City due to reconstruction demand, the impact on the local economy continues, with the lagging recovery in the fisheries and seafood processing industries, which are key industries.
Experts point out that the background is that there are not enough jobs in a wide range of industries.
Professor Yanai, Tohoku Gakuin University
“The damage was enormous, and many people left Ishinomaki because of the lack of employment in a variety of occupations. It is very important for the future of the region to change the working environment in the fishery industry, which is a major part of Japan, into a workplace environment that is easy for young people to work in.”
Bud of Hope 1 “If you want to start a business, go here!” Young people gather in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture
After the earthquake, many local governments faced population declines that exceeded expectations, but a closer look at the "recovery map" revealed signs of change.
One of them is Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture.
In the five years from 2010 to 2015, 3717 people, or 37% of the population, decreased, while in the five years from 2015 to 2020, it increased slightly to 96 people.
Among the municipalities analyzed this time, there were only a few municipalities that turned from a decrease to an increase in this way.
The change was driven by initiatives initiated by the town and NPOs.
A startup support program that has been running since 2015.
The tuition fee is 30,000 yen for 3 months.
Get practical guidance from instructors at major business schools and representatives from local financial institutions.
The feature is that "you don't have to start a business in Onagawa".
First of all, I focused on getting people to know the town.
So far, 53 people have graduated and 14 have started businesses in Onagawa.
One of them, Naonobu Harada, is 32 years old from Osaka Prefecture.
In 2021, we launched a children's exercise class in onagawa.
At first, he didn't think about starting a business in Onagawa, but the decisive factors were the friendly support of the townspeople and the mutual face-to-face relationship.
Ms. Harada
: “The people in the town have really helped me and introduced me to many people, which is reassuring. There are only two nursery schools and one elementary school, so the children change a lot. I understand, and I can keep an eye on it. I thought it would be a good place to start.”
The person in charge of the NPO that supports the program says that by supporting entrepreneurship, young people find a place to play an active role in the community, creating vitality.
Director Komatsu, NPO Ashenokibo
"Establishment is necessary for the region. Young people will come more and more if there is a wide range of occupations and various jobs in the region."
Seed of Hope 2 Education is an investment in the future Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture
Another sign was found in the Map of Reconstruction.
In Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture, where the central part was heavily damaged, the number of people decreased by more than 3,500 from 2010 to 2015, and by more than 750 from 2015 to 2020.
On the other hand, when looking at the data by industry, there were certain changes.
In the five years since 2015, the number of workers in the education and learning support industry has increased by 27 people.
Why is the number of people involved in education increasing even though the number of children is decreasing?
There was a unique educational policy in Otsuchi Town.
Eight years ago, we proceeded with the consolidation of schools and unified all elementary and junior high schools.
In addition to establishing a seamless educational system, we are providing detailed learning support by incorporating after-school learning by NPOs.
This is to attract young people and develop human resources who can play an active role in the region.
Furthermore, at the town's only high school, a subject titled "Sanriku Future Exploration" has been developed for the past four years.
Each student thinks about solutions to the town's issues while being closely involved with the life, work, and people of the town.
So far, we have realized food development using non-standard vegetables based on the ideas of the students.
Miyu Endo, a second-year high school student, is working on the theme of "building connections between residents."
She actually visited residents planning a "community cafeteria" and discussed issues in the community.
There is no community association in this area, and I wanted to somehow preserve the connection of the area.
Mr. Endo decided to ask his friends for their ideas on how to get people together.
Ms. Endo
: “Being deeply involved with the locals like this makes me feel that I am needed, and I feel like I have found a new place to belong.”
These efforts have gained a good reputation, and in addition to increasing the rate of advancement from within the town, students are now coming from outside the prefecture.
It will be interesting to see if the results of these efforts continue to spread.
Ms. Sugano from Otsuchi Town
"I believe that the role of education is to make students feel, 'There is something to learn in this town' and 'I can live happily in this town' through school life. "
New industries are sprouting up in Fukushima...
Fukushima Prefecture, where the residents were forced to evacuate due to the nuclear accident, is significantly different from the areas we have seen so far.
Evacuation orders have been lifted in some areas, allowing residents to return, but there are still "difficult-to-return zones" where access is strictly restricted.
If you look at the "recovery map", you can see that blue, which indicates "decrease", is concentrated in municipalities where difficult-to-return zones have been set.
However, when I proceeded with the analysis, I found that the number of people engaged in certain occupations is increasing.
researchers and engineers.
Several coastal municipalities were red, indicating an increase.
Of these, in Minamisoma City, the number of researchers and engineers has increased by more than 100 in the 10 years until 2020.
“Fukushima Robot Test Field” opened in Minamisoma City in 2020.
Fukushima Prefecture established it with a government subsidy of 15.6 billion yen.
State-of-the-art robots are being developed, such as fire extinguishing robots used at fire sites and underwater robots aimed at decommissioning nuclear power plants.
We visited a venture company with a development base in Minamisoma City.
We are developing robots that can safely replace humans on railways and roads.
There are crossroads and tunnels for experiments, and it is said that it will be useful for verifying the functions of the robot.
The company has relocated three employees so far.
Under the Fukushima Innovation Coast Initiative, a project promoted by the national and prefectural governments, 57 such facilities have been established along the coast. I'm here.
Some experts point out that while the number of new residents is increasing, it has not led to the reconstruction of the original residents.
My name is Fuminori Tanba, a professor at Ritsumeikan University who has been researching the reconstruction of Fukushima Prefecture.
Professor Tamba has been conducting questionnaires continuously since immediately after the earthquake, targeting residents of Futaba County, which was affected by the nuclear accident.
In the most recent survey conducted in December 2021, when asked about policies necessary for future reconstruction with multiple answers, many residents wanted the development and enhancement of facilities for the elderly and medical facilities.
Less than 30% of the respondents answered that they would “attract companies and develop new industries through the Fukushima Innovation Coast Initiative.”
Although Professor Tamba has a certain degree of appreciation for this project, he points out that there is still a gap between the opinions of the residents.
Professor Tanba, Ritsumeikan University
: “When it comes to whether new industries will directly lead to rebuilding our lives, I think the reality is that this is not yet connected. Many people said they wanted it.I think it is important to reassess the original potential of Fukushima, such as local companies, and connect it with new industries.”
summary
Experts have pointed out that the disaster-stricken areas, which are suffering from declining populations, are "problematic areas" that reflect Japan several decades into the future.
Even so, from the map of reconstruction, we can see young people who will lead the future and people who have taken a step forward to develop new industries.
Population decline is expected to become even more serious throughout Japan in the future.
I felt that the signs I saw in the disaster area would be important hints for thinking about how to live in the future.
"NHK Special Map of Reconstruction 12 Years after the Great East Japan Earthquake ~Looking for 'Sprouts of Hope'~", which looks for hints for regional revitalization from the map of reconstruction, will be announced in detail from 9:00 pm on March 12th.
"NHK Special 12 Years after the Great East Japan Earthquake Map of Reconstruction ~Finding the 'Sprouts of Hope~'"
Sendai Station
Orie Sugimoto Satoshi Masui Nozomi Kurioka Morioka Station Asahi Hashino
Fukushima Station Akane Takano
Tatsuo Kobayashi
News Program Center Naofumi Okamoto
Network News Department Keijiro Saito
Network News Department Chihiro Tomita