A treasure that will never be broken again Kumamoto and Miyagi 12 years of bondsApril 4 18:11

"They came to our house because there was an earthquake,"

said a police officer who was affected by the Kumamoto earthquake with a bowl in his hand that children continue to use even now.

This teacup is a "treasure" given to him by a boy who helped him after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

It is a testament to the 2 years that led to the earthquake that connected the two people in Kumamoto and Miyagi.

(Kumamoto Broadcasting Station Reporter Yukiaki Matsuo)

Thoughts put into the teacup

A teacup with a cute dolphin character on the set.

It was an ordinary plastic tableware, but it contained a certain thought.

The owner of this teacup is a 38-year-old police officer of the Kumamoto Prefectural Police.

I still cherish it as a support for my heart.

Police officer
: "I also like the sight of children eating with it, and they have been using it for a long time and have made it our treasure."

2016 Kumamoto earthquake

That day seven years ago.

"I never thought that an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 7 would occur in Kumamoto,"

I belonged to a police station in an area that was particularly severely damaged.

Only four people are in charge of disaster countermeasures.

We managed to confirm that there was no major damage in the pipe.

Just in case, I decided to stay at the police station.

Immediately after lying down in the dojo to take a break, the main shock with a seismic intensity of 7 occurred again.

In a shaking that I had never experienced before, the award certificates displayed in the dojo made a loud noise and fell from the walls all at once.

Immediately running down to the duty on the first floor, shelves and other items collapsed, and the floor was scattered.

Immediately after returning the handset that had been disconnected by the earthquake, the telephone rang all at once.

As my memories of the rest became vague, I continued to be busy dealing with the earthquake.

Police officer
: "Of course, my wife and children can't deal with me, so I keep going to the police station all the time. I was stuck there working."

I was finally able to return home one week later.

When you open the door of the house, there is a hole in the wall and things are scattered.

Many of the dishes were also shattered.

In the midst of the harsh situation, it was the bond with a boy that supported me.

12 years ago in Iwanuma City, Miyagi Prefecture

November 8, eight months after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

As a specially dispatched police officer, I went to Iwanuma City, Miyagi Prefecture to provide support.

He was 2011 years old at the time.

I was a young man in my third year as a police officer.

One of the things I was in charge of during the three-week dispatch period was visiting disaster victims who had evacuated to temporary housing.

Shortly after we started, we received a consultation from a woman whose home was damaged by the tsunami.

The woman revealed that her six-year-old son is under a lot of stress due to the sudden change in his environment.

Temporary housing with only 11 rooms for a family of 27.

Since the walls were thin and could not make sound, they were restricted to live quietly.

When I heard that my eldest son had a lot of ups and downs in his emotions, he would start
crying just after a short distance, so I bowed to the seniors who were dispatched with me and asked for permission, and immediately went to see him after work
that day.

Waiting was Yuto Kobayashi, who was six years old at the time.

I still can't forget how my expression lit up and my smile burst out the moment we met.

Police officer
: "The moment I met him, his face lit up, and he was happy, saying, 'Wow, you really came.'"

After eating dinner together, we listened to each other and watched them sleep peacefully before leaving.

On off-duty days once every two days, he visits the Kobayashi family without fail.

I spent as much time as I could with Yuto.

This is Misako, Yuto's mother.

I still feel the magnitude of their existence.

Misako
: "Police from all over the country came to me, but I think she was the only one who opened up for the first time.

The wounds inflicted by the earthquake must be carried on our backs for the rest of our lives. But if something happens, I think there's a sense of security in Yuto that 'that person is there.'"

Even if you return to Kumamoto

After leaving Miyagi Prefecture, a letter arrived at the police station where I worked.

Hiragana characters written by Yuto, a first-year elementary school student.

There were many stickers of police officers and white bikes.

"I'll do it again, let's talk about it."

This letter triggered my correspondence with Yuto.

They exchanged frequent phone calls and emails.

Police officer
: "I was very happy to receive the letter. I became a police officer for the first time. It made me very happy to think that I would continue to interact with Yuto-kun."

About once a week, the two spent a few hours exchanging messages after work and deepening their bond.

The earthquake struck Kumamoto five years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Unbreakable gift

While we were pushed to the limit in response to the Kumamoto earthquake, a gift arrived.

A set teacup with blue and pink dolphins.

When Yuto learned that the dishes at home were broken, he bought them at the aquarium.

With the hope that it would not break anymore, he chose plastic.

Police officer
: "It doesn't break, I can use it forever, and I can only thank you for thinking about your family and children with a kind heart. It is said that this arrived one after another because the tableware was broken, so I think the minuses are drowned out, or they are overwritten and turned into positive emotions."

A major earthquake in Kumamoto that I had never experienced before.

I was supported by Yuto's presence.

Police officer
: "You have to be a hero, you want to be a hero for this child, and that ultimately gives you strength. What I gave back to Yuto-kun is coming back to me. I think it has been circulating for a long time, and it is where it is now."

Another treasure

Yuto also has a treasure that he has cherished for a long time.

It was a stuffed dog that I received as relief supplies.

This stuffed animal has the same name as the police officer who continues to support it.

Yuto, who is 18 years old, still has this stuffed animal in his room.

Yuto:
"I thought it would be more reassuring if I was nearby, so it's important for me, because I still remember the reassurance of that time, so it makes me feel better."

This spring, on a new path

April.

Yuto went to university in Miyagi Prefecture.

I joined the badminton club and am chasing my goal of participating in intercollegiate.

A police officer sent me a gift to celebrate my entrance to higher education.

It is a bag chosen to be used at the university.

Yuto couldn't use what she had been given so far, and cherished it.

Only this bag is carried with me to the university every day.

The two have been connected for 12 years.

In fact, we have never met again.

It is said that each of them has a dream.

Yuto:
"I want to be like that police officer, and the most important thing is that I am growing as a person, but I also want to be a person who can be close. Both of them enjoy fishing, so I'd like to try eating the fish we catch together."

Police officer
: "In my current state, I still can't convince myself, and I have to work hard until I can meet with pride one day. When Yuto-kun is over 20 years old and can drink alcohol, I think he would be happiest if he could talk about old times while drinking someday."

Yukiaki
Matsuo, who joined the bureau in 2012, has been posted to Kumamoto since August last year, and I am looking forward to the day when I
can cover the reunion of
the two (photo with Yuto * The reporter is on the
right)