Assisting Reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake
Supporting Recovery of the Fish Processing Industry in Kesennuma
Supporting the Kesennuma Shishiori Processing Cooperative Association to help industrial reconstruction
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami brought devastating damage to Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture and to its core industry, the fish processing industry. Sumitomo Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation Tohoku teamed up with Mitsui to support reconstruction of the industry in collaboration with Miyagi Prefecture, Kesennuma City, and the local chambers of commerce. This coalition is helping to develop a recovery business model by assisting the Kesennuma Shishiori Processing Cooperative Association, which was formed after the earthquake.
On May 27, 2015, a new office building for the cooperative association was completed. In the ceremony for the building's completion, Sumitomo Corporation's former President & CEO Kuniharu Nakamura and many representatives from related parties gathered together to celebrate the milestone. By supporting the activities of the Association with the slogan "Share the same vision toward reconstruction," we contribute to the reconstruction of the local fish processing industry and the sustainable development of the entire community.
Participants in the new office building ceremony
New office completed (left) and the refrigerated warehouse under construction (right)
Sumitomo Corporation Follow-up Program for the Revitalization of East Japan
Supporting the organizations devoted to problem solving in the areas afflicted by the Great East Japan Earthquake
Sumitomo Corporation implemented the Sumitomo Corporation Follow-up Program for the Revitalization of East Japan over the three years from fiscal 2017 to 2019, in the hope of reconstructing the area and helping disaster victims rebuild their lives.
When the Sumitomo Corporation Youth Challenge Program for the Revitalization of East Japan (YCP) which was the predecessor of this program completed in 2016, the reconstruction of the lives of the victims was still halfway through the recovery, and the remaining issues were becoming more complicated.
Therefore, in this program, we mainly targeted NPOs that have achieved certain results in regional revitalization of disaster-stricken areas and reconstruction of the lives of disaster victims through YCP, and supported their efforts to aim for solves specialized, latent, and individualized issues. In order to create a program that can be designed to closely meet local situations and needs, we implemented a planned (interactive) grant that emphasizes in-depth dialogue with the candidates rather than public offering.
Sumitomo Corporation Youth Challenge Program for the Revitalization of East Japan
Supporting the youth who will participate in support the recovering of East Japan
Over the five years from fiscal 2012 to 2016, Sumitomo Corporation’s Sumitomo Corporation Youth Challenge Program for the Revitalization of East Japan supported young people involved in revitalizing eastern Japan in the hope of reconstructing the area and helping disaster victims rebuild their lives.
This program consists of two parts: the Activity and Research Subsidy and the Internship Encouragement Program. It is intended to help young participants expand both their knowledge and experience base and develop into future leaders who can play active roles in the further development of local communities and society at large.
※"Youth" refer largely to undergraduate and graduate students aged in their late teens and 20s.
Volunteer Program for Earthquake Disaster Reconstruction
Organizing employee volunteer program, as part of the reconstruction assistance of the Great East Japan Earthquake
As part of its actions to give humanitarian aid to the afflicted areas, nearly 160 employees had participated in the volunteer program for earthquake disaster reconstruction from early August to December, 2011. Sumitomo Corporation organized this program that supports employees who want to participate in disaster volunteer activities. It was developed after a series of consultations with local government officials and with the staff of a local social welfare council that manages a volunteer center for disaster reconstruction. Participants in the program have taken part in activities in Yamamoto Town located at the southern end of Miyagi Prefecture.
Employees were assigned at the local volunteer center in the town, carrying out support activities that included helping to accept volunteers, allocate work to those volunteers, and disseminate helpful information through a blog. They also helped to remove debris and mud from the houses of residents that had been damaged by the disaster and to plant seedlings and thin out leaves at strawberry farms, since strawberries are a local specialty. Employees who participated in the volunteer program made the following comments.
