"I want to continue living in this town, but still..." March 10, 16:25
“I want to continue living in my hometown
.
Why are the working-age generation leaving the city?
Experts point out that this is because "reconstruction has entered a new stage."
12 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
reality of the affected areas.
(The Great East Japan Earthquake Survey Report Team)
20 years old leaving home
There is a woman who will leave her hometown in the disaster area this spring.
My name is Ayano Chika (20) and I live in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.
I was born and raised in Ishinomaki City, and even after graduating from high school, I went to a junior college in Sendai City, which took more than an hour from the city.
Meanwhile, I decided to leave Ishinomaki.
There is no "place to be active"...
Mr. Close says that he really does not want to leave his hometown.
Rich in nature and warm people.
Many of my family, relatives and friends are in Ishinomaki.
The reason Chika decided to leave the city was to make her dream come true.
Her dream is to be a wedding planner.
However, there was no job offer in Ishinomaki City at the junior college Chika attended.
As a result of my job hunting activities, I decided to leave my hometown for a job with a company headquartered in Tokyo.
He hopes to return to Ishinomaki someday.
Mr. Chika
: “When you prioritize what you want to do, there are more options to find a job outside of Ishinomaki.The town is aging, and there are very few places where young people can play an active role. I feel that there is a strong desire to restore the city to its pre-earthquake state, and I believe that it is better to move forward with efforts to create a new town instead of rebuilding.”
Serious population decline after the earthquake
Like Mr. Chika, there is no end to people leaving the disaster area.
The population will decrease by 10% in Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures and by 3% in Miyagi Prefecture from 2010 to 2022 (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications survey).
The national population decline rate is 1%.
It greatly exceeds it.
Furthermore, in coastal areas, Onagawa-cho in Miyagi prefecture has decreased by 40%, Otsuchi-cho in Iwate prefecture by 31%, and Tomioka-cho in Fukushima prefecture by 24%.
If you take a survey of the “working generation”…
Why do so many people leave the affected areas?
NHK conducted a questionnaire to explore the consciousness of the generation in the prime of life.
The subjects were 1,000 people in their 20s to 50s who live in the coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, as well as areas where evacuation orders were issued due to the nuclear accident.
I asked the people who are at the core of the “working generation” on the Internet.
What I heard was a frank question, "Do you want to continue living in the city you live in in the future?"
“I want to continue living” 80%
As a result, nearly 80% of the respondents answered that they would like to continue living in their current city.
Do you want to continue living in your current city into the future?
・41% want to continue living
・36% want to continue living
・14% do not want to continue living
・8% do not want to continue living
In addition, we asked those who answered “I want to continue living” or “If anything, I want to continue living” with multiple answers.
62% of the respondents answered that they have an attachment to the land, followed by 31% who answered that they have relatives and acquaintances.
What is missing in today's disaster areas?
With so many people wanting to continue living, why is the population declining in the affected areas?
In order to explore this awareness, we asked multiple answers about what they think is lacking in order to make the city a place where the younger generation can continue to live.
The answer “work or industry” exceeded 60%.
This was followed by "commercial facilities," "transportation," "childcare support," and "nursery school."
During our interviews in the coastal areas of Miyagi Prefecture, we heard voices such as "I want to continue living, but I'm worried about the future of the city," and "I have no choice but to leave my hometown for self-fulfillment." .
"Recovery to the next stage"
Reo Kimura, a professor at the University of Hyogo who specializes in social psychology, analyzes these results as a result of reconstruction entering the "next stage."
Professor Kimura, University of Hyogo
: “In the restoration and reconstruction of the earthquake disaster, we have made progress so far to make the city a place where people can continue to live, but I feel that we are entering the next stage. In order to develop as a sustainable city, I think it is necessary to make it attractive enough to make new generations of young people want to continue living, and to make it a place where they can work.”
I want to keep living, but...
As the interview progressed, many people felt uneasy about continuing to live in the disaster area.
One of them is Shoko Kosaka (36), who lives in Minamisanriku-cho.
She is raising three children.
In the Great East Japan Earthquake, the pharmacy run by her family was washed away by the tsunami, and her home was also severely damaged.
Amidst the enormous damage, Kosaka's father thought that the pharmacy was "essential to the community," and rebuilt it less than a year after the earthquake.
Some people keep coming from 10km away to the pharmacy where her husband also works.
She hopes Kosaka will continue to live in the city to support her family and the pharmacy.
Anxiety about the child-raising environment
On the other hand, Mr. Kosaka says that he is worried about the environment in which he will raise children.
The number of retail stores has decreased to about 40% of what it was before the earthquake.
There are no bookstores or laundry shops in the town, so a car is essential for everyday shopping.
There is no obstetrics and gynecology department in town, and the three children were born at another city hospital, an hour's drive away.
In addition, there are no pediatric doctors stationed at hospitals in the town, making it difficult for children to see a doctor immediately if they become ill in the middle of the night.
It is said that many people of Kosaka's generation choose to leave the city.
Ms. Kosaka:
“I have many friends who leave Minamisanriku when they get married or have children. It is really inconvenient that there is no obstetrics and gynecology department. I feel that this environment suits me, with its natural environment and laid-back people.
"I want to see the reconstruction"
On the other hand, while conducting the interview, I also met people who tried to convey the charm of the city by themselves.
My name is Mayuko Sato (43) and I live in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture.
Sato is from Tokyo.
When he was a student, he attended university in Ofunato City and worked in Tokyo after graduation.
She returned to Ofunato in 2006 after marrying her husband, who lives in Ofunato.
She says she made the decision to live in this city with its rich nature and friendly people.
In the earthquake, close people in the area died, and the university, which was a memorable alma mater, was severely damaged, and the campus was moved outside the prefecture.
Still, I never thought of leaving this city.
Mr. Sato
: “At the time (when I moved here), I didn’t have any hesitation. I'm curious about Ofunato's reconstruction, and I want to see it together, so I've been living here for a long time."
Work yourself
Mr. Sato is also starting a new initiative.
Years ago, I set up an accessory workshop next to her house.
Materials such as saury scales, shells, and sea urchin thorns were collected along the coast or received from fishermen.
I make pendants and earrings by hand.
Now, it is available at souvenir shops in the prefecture.
Mr. Sato says that even as the population continues to decline, he wants to think about what he can do for the city.
Ms. Sato:
“Since I was a student, I have been indebted to everyone in this area. I want to make accessories and spread the appeal of this area. Thinking about it, I continue to live here.”
Interview postscript
12 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
While the reconstruction of the disaster area is progressing, it is not easy to restore the prosperity of the area.
However, the results of this survey give me hope that most people want to continue living in the city.
How can we respond to that voice?
I think it's going to be important from now on.
News Reporter
Chieko Katsumata
Joined the station in 2010
After working at the Yamaguchi and Sendai stations, she currently belongs to
Miyagi.
Sendai Broadcasting Station Reporter
Sotaro Iwata Joined the station in
2011 After working at the Utsunomiya Station and the Science and Culture Department
, he has been at his current position
since August 2022 in Sendai.
Reporter for Sendai Broadcasting Station
Aya Yamauchi
Joined the station in 2022
Moved to Miyagi prefecture, my grandfather's hometown, last year
Studying Tohoku sake and seafood
Morioka Broadcasting Station Reporter
Miki Umezawa
Joined in 2020
Daily healing is hot springs and sake