Reconstruction Gap

Kizuna, or ties, has been a common concept of reconstruction effort from the devastation of the Great Northeastern Earthquake two years ago. In the Pacific coastal area of Tohoku region, there appears the difference between the top runners and the followers. The gap is eroding the close kizuna., the Japanese once had after the disaster.

Oofunato city in Iwate prefecture is located along a bay, which cuts the land deeply. Because the city area was extended toward inland, the victims of tsunami on March 11, 2011, were relatively few. Although the stores and hotels around the Oofunato station are all broken by seawater, there recently emerged a bookstore, a drug store and a supermarket. A hotel, with a renovated building, resumed to accept travelers there. Those became possible by early start of reconstruction plan made by the city government. Fortunately enough, people in the city cooperated together for the reconstruction effort by the city.

Kesen-numa city in Miyagi prefecture, located in thirty miles south of Oofunato, sees little progress even two years later of the quake. A big ship, transported by great tsunami, stands still on the land. There are only a few new buildings around the seaport of Kesen-numa, because the city government has not get good support from people for having consensus to determine the land use. Fishery workers do not hesitate to criticize the city mayor as being “lagging behind.”

The gap between the city is mainly caused not by the lack of effort of city officials, but by rigid operation of national government. In the example of Kesen-numa city, the ministry which deals with subsidy for the reconstruction is separated depending on how to use the land. The rebuilding of berth for fishing ships is the job of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery. Reconstruction of stores and fish processing industries is dealt by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industries. Private houses are in the category of the Ministry of Construction and Transportation. Not having enough support from all those ministries, the city government cannot have clear vision for the land use.

The responsibility should ultimately be owed by national politics. The bureaucrats in those ministries can do nothing beyond the line of existing laws. If a measure beyond the law is needed, it is lawmakers who make necessary laws to help suffering people. But most lawmakers are hesitant to make new laws against the advices of bureaucrats. It is another tragedy of Japanese nation.