Hajime Yaguchi Secretary General of JJC (Japan Joint Committee of Co-operatives)

1. The Great East Japan Earthquake and effort towards recovery and reconstruction by Japanese co-operative movements– 28 November 2012 at Kobe7th Co-operative Forum– • Hajime Yaguchi • Secretary General of JJC (Japan Joint Committee of Co-operatives) • Executive Director of JA-Zenchu(Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives)

2. About JJC (Japan Joint Committee of Co-operatives) - The objectives of JJC are to: promote mutual cooperation between the various domestic co-operative activities; to resolve common issues; and to strengthen both domestic and overseas co-operative movements. - JJC is comprised of 14 agriculture, consumer, fishery, forestry, worker, and other cooperatives in Japan that are also official members of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). Affiliated Body of JJC Chairman Mr. Akira Banzai (President of the JA-Zenchu) Vice Chairman Mr. Katsumi Asada (President of the JCCU) Mr. Ikuhiro Hattori (President of the JF ZENGYOREN) Mr. Shigeyoshi Satou(President of the ZENMORI-REN)

3. Damages from the Great East Japan Earthquake - The Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011 (moment magnitude of 9.0), caused catastrophic damages mainly in the northeastern coastal areas, resulting in many dead or missing people and widespread destruction of buildings. - Multitudinous damages became further aggravated with the disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, resulting in prolonged lives under evacuation, restrictions to agricultural shipment, and repercussions on the fishery industry due to the spread of seawater contamination. Damages etc. from the Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami from the earthquake As of Oct. 30, 2012 from information released by the Japanese government

4. Situation Immediately Afterthe Great East Japan Earthquake Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture Great East Japan Earthquake Seismic Intensity by Area Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture

5. Actions Taken Immediately Afterthe Great East Japan Earthquake Providing Aid Providing Hot Meals <JA Group>  JA Group Miyagi, with the support of JA Group Yamagata, provided 60,000 rice balls in 20 days between Mar. 22 to Apr. 10.  Additionally, JA employees and members organized visits to shelters and provided hot meals of rice, taro hot pot, curry, etc. <Co-op Group>  Coordinated with other consumer groups to provide packed meals and hot meals to people living in shelters. <JA Group> The following aid and more were provided free of charge from JA nationwide:  Food (approx. 370 tons of rice; 300,000 food items; 500,000 liters of drinking water; 580 tons of vegetables & fruit)  Sundries (1.7 million masks & towels) <Co-op Group> Provided approx. 710,000 aid items (370 truckloads) including food and fuel.

6. Efforts toward Recovery and Restoration from the Disaster Restoring Agricultural Land Providing a Place to Shop <Operating Co-op Shops-on-Wheels>  Total of 4 “shops-on-wheels” were operated in the 3 most heavily damaged prefectures from the Great East Japan Earthquake. The shops also provided an opportunity for interaction amongst people living in temporary housing. Miyagi: Miyagi Co-op “Seikyo Bin” Iwate: Iwate Co-op “Nikochan Go” Fukushima: Co-op Fukushima “Seikyo Bin” Co-op Aizu “Seikyo Bin”  Transport and know-how were provided by co-ops in other prefectures. <JA Group Support Team> ‐ No. of persons involved up to Nov. 2012 … Approx. 12,000 persons nationwide <Bus of Volunteers by Co-op> - Approx. 22,000 persons up to end of Mar. 2012 <<Main Activities at Site>> (1) Removing debris from farmlands (2) Restoring irrigation channels (3) Rebuilding lost/damaged houses (4) Cleaning and weeding at public facility areasShops-on-Wheels (Provided by The Japan Agricultural News)

7. Independent Assistance Programs that Utilize the Strengths of Individual Co-ops Dispatching Doctors & Nurses Educational Support Creating Employment Opportunities Assessing Damages for Mutual Aid

8. Support from Worldwide Co-op Members,and Signs of Recovery - Immediately after the disaster, many letters of condolences and donations were received from ICA and co-op members from around the world. Donations were relegated by ICA member organizations in Japan and used for co-op recovery efforts. - One year and eight months have passed since the disaster, however, issues regarding Tokyo Electric Company’s nuclear power plants are still not resolved. Reparative payments toward those affected in the agriculture, forestry, and fishery industries are being delayed, with no end in sight. Meanwhile, there are some signs of recovery, with agriculture and fishing being resumed in the disaster- affected areas. Usage of Donations from ICA Signs of Recovery Resulting from the Received Support Co-op facility rebuilt with donations from ICA. (Iwate prefecture) Farmland which was able to re-start farming this year. (Miyagi prefecture)

9. Achievements and Issues for Early Recovery & Restoration following the Disaster - Immediately following the disaster, the government could not assume effective central command. It was also hampered by a vertically-segmented administrative system, which made it difficult to act swiftly in accordance to the needs of the affected areas. Moreover, local governments had agreements between neighboring municipalities to assist one another in times of crisis, but this agreement did not function effectively and could not fulfill its desired role. - Meanwhile, seeing how co-ops were able to act so swiftly and in such a wide area immediately after the disaster is proof that its members hold a common ideal and share a common philosophy of helping one another, thereby serving a public-minded and protective role in the local community. - However, there are limits to what co-ops and other private organizations can do in providing aid. Therefore, speedy recovery and restoration efforts led by the government is required. However, even after 1 year and 8 months from the disaster, there are many delays with not much moving forward. Moreover, the disaster victims are feeling frustrated and disappointed with the unstable and unfaithful political situation, especially as the government is considering joining the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) negotiations, which will have major repercussions on the disaster-stricken areas.

10. Tanbo Art depicting the character “kizuna” (Iwate Prefecture) Thank you for your kind attention. Evacuees receiving comfort from aid delivery. (Fukushima Prefecture) Umbrellas showing children’s smiles (Miyagi Prefecture)