“Even when I worked temporarily in a company, I always had the feeling that fate would ultimately lead me back to farming in Tomioka. That’s why I thought that if I were to farm rice in Tomioka, the sooner the better,” said Watanabe.

In the fall of 2017, he succeeded in harvesting 3.6 tons of top-quality Ten no Tsubu rice. Various media outlets showed disaster reconstruction minister Masayoshi Yoshino enjoying the harvested rice.

This April, the town’s elementary and junior high schools reopened and a hospital affiliated with Fukushima Prefectural Futaba Medical Center opened to provide secondary care for the Futaba District, including Tomioka.

“I believe the hospital affiliated with the Futaba Medical Center would enable collaboration not just between the (larger) Sousou area (in the eastern part of the prefecture) but also among the advanced medical institutions located throughout the prefecture, improving the environment so that area residents will feel more secure,” said Satoshi Imamura, the head of the municipal Tomioka Clinic, expressing his hopes about the new hospital.

On the other hand, there are only around 660 residents as of June 1, compared to roughly 15,830 at the end of March 2011. Tomioka has begun to take one step at a time from the start line on the road to reconstruction.

The METI Journal asked Tomioka Mayor Koichi Miyamoto on March 5 about the direction the town is headed. 

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Question: It has been almost a year since the evacuation order was lifted last year. How do you feel looking back on this past year?

Miyamoto: First of all, I am very glad that the evacuation order was lifted except for “Areas where Returning is Difficult.” Almost a year has passed, but people are not returning. I think it will take more time to have 10 percent of the population come back. 

We are aiming to reopen the elementary and junior high schools this April, but the people who are coming back with their children are still young and we especially need to create job opportunities. That’s why we are engaged in the development of an industrial park. 

In Areas where Returning is Difficult, we have submitted a development plan to the government as a specific reconstruction and revitalization area and are awaiting approval (Note: It was approved March 9). We plan to develop the town in our aim for people to be able to return in five years.

We have finally reached the start line and there are many issues facing us.

Question: Industrial reconstruction is invaluable regarding the return of the population. How are things progressing?

Miyamoto: In Tomioka, there used to be many companies that provided materials and maintenance services for Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power plants. Many of these companies have resumed business at industrial parks in areas such as the city of Iwaki, but we would like to offer support to companies that want to resume business in Tomioka, including securing land necessary to operate.

Additionally, we were able to attract the International Collaborative Research Building of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, which is part of the Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework program. The research facility relocated from Tokai in Ibaraki Prefecture to Tomioka. It is an important base for the decommissioning process that takes 30 to 40 years.

In this way, a stone has been cast into Tomioka, and I hope that it will cause ripples to bring in companies willing to take on the challenges of decommissioning. 

On Feb. 20, we held a matching event (dubbed the Fukushima Future Business Networking Event) in our town between local and external companies based on the theme of robots and decommissioning. It was a big success with more than 50 companies participating and I hope that more such companies will return. 

On the other hand, the resuming of commercial business has not seen much progress. It is hard to do business without an increase in people. We have managed to create a shopping space with the opening of Sakura Mall Tomioka, but other than that, currently only a few shops have resumed business, including a gas station and a hardware store.

Question: A few more words on the direction of things moving forward? 

Miyamoto: We only have three more years of the Reconstruction and Revitalization Period (2016–2020, set by the national government) but that is not the end. I would like to ask the government to continue to provide support until we complete the reconstruction. 

Until last year, we had been holding the festival at Yonomori Sakura (cherry blossom) Tunnel as a “gathering for reconstruction,” but starting this year, we have changed the name back to what it was before the disaster, Sakura Festival, to be held for two days on April 14 and 15. Also, this summer, we will resume the fire festival at Hayama Shrine that had been suspended since the disaster. 

I hope that these events will become the trigger to bring back the town’s energy little by little.

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“There are many people wanting to eventually move back or to continue to stay involved with the town, even if they cannot return just yet for various reasons. I hope that such people can come together to create some kind of flow,” said Dai Fujita, senior managing director of Torifuji, a company that operates a restaurant in Sakura Mall Tomioka. 

 “It’s fun to see the faces of the gradually increasing Tomioka locals alongside the workers engaged in decontamination and decommissioning from behind the restaurant counter,” he said.

The town known for its sakura (cherry blossoms) is steadily making its way forward toward reconstruction and new urban development.

This year, Mitsufuji has announced its new corporate mission — “Weaving biometric data into greater human understanding” — to accelerate product development and business expansion.

The company has also been selected as the “Driving Company for the Regional Future” by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry because the firm was evaluated to have an economic ripple effect on local businesses, leading regional economic growth.

Advanced technology 

At present, Mitsufuji is constructing a factory in Kawamata, Fukushima Prefecture, at a rapid pace, aiming to hold a completion ceremony on Sept. 2. The evacuation order placed on Kawamata was completely lifted last March, with the remaining order having been lifted for the Yamakiya district.

One of the reasons why Mitsufuji chose the Kawamata Seibu (western) Industrial Park was because of the affinity with the local Kawamata silk business and Mitsufuji’s fiber business. Another major reason the company chose the area is Mitsufuji’s strong wish to “contribute to resolving various social issues in Fukushima Prefecture, including reconstruction and the low birthrate and aging society.”

“We’d like to make further efforts to continue spreading the knowledge of our world-leading cutting-edge technology and Kawamata’s new possibilities,” said CEO Ayumu Mitera.

“In Kawamata, we hope to create jobs in an industry that is familiar to the local community and provide a spark to generate vitality in the area by bringing a breath of fresh air,” Mitera noted. “We’d also like to connect with area residents through jointly hosting various events.”

The company’s Fukushima factory will be a combination of tradition and the next generation industry — two concepts that may seem contradictory at a glance — as well as the community’s hope for reconstruction.

Boosting female employment

Meanwhile, Resela Co., based in Okayama Prefecture, became the first company to open in the Tanoiri Industrial Park in Kawauchi when it completed its Kawauchi Factory at the end of last year and began operations in January. The factory is playing a major role in creating local jobs by manufacturing sportswear, bathing suits and medical supporters.

Like Mitsufuji, the reason why Resela President Toyohiko Miyamoto chose Kawauchi was not only because of its history of having flourished in the sewing business, but for other factors as well.

“Because of the various measures taken to prepare the living environment in Kawauchi, 80 percent of its residents returned. When I heard Kawauchi was planning to build an industrial park, I went to take a look,” Miyamoto recalled. “There, I felt that there was a lack of job opportunities for women and I felt we could help with the reconstruction by creating such jobs.”

Spreading the Kawauchi Brand

Expressing his determination at the completion ceremony on Dec. 10, Miyamoto said, “I want to help the reconstruction of Kawauchi through the field of apparel.” He is thinking to engage in creating and spreading the Kawauchi Brand in the apparel field. 

Miyamoto continued: “In western Japan where our company is based, the great disaster has been fading from people’s memories as time goes by. Western Japan is known for its manufacturing of uniforms and work clothes, and I hope that we can become a bridge between western Japan and Fukushima. And by spreading the Kawauchi Brand in the apparel field, I hope that many people will feel that they are participating in the reconstruction.”

Kawauchi has had other companies, including a major agricultural processing facility. Additionally, Cafe Amazon, the popular Thai coffee shop chain, moved into the area, offering peace of mind to area residents.

“The role Kawauchi needs to play is to become a model district for regional revitalization. I would like to move forward together with the residents with a vision of such grand design,” said Yasunori Iwamoto, president of Codomo Energy Co., the company that brought Cafe Amazon to Japan. 

The strong will of the companies that have recently moved into the area and the local residents who have overcome an unprecedented disaster have pushed the reconstruction of the 12 disaster-stricken municipalities and is creating a new outlook. 

The Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework, a government initiative, has been the driving force of much of this reconstruction.