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Thank you.
Good afternoon everyone.
As the first speaker this afternoon
I hope to share something that will hopefully wake you up.
In this short ten minutes that I have
I’ll be discussing themes like -
the power to live,
and to give you an idea of the initiatives
that we've been taking.
70 out of 200
This is the number
that we’re working with.
We’re taking on a 3-year project
to recruit 200 people.
70 is the number of March 11 victims
that we were able to recruit in less than a year.
Why do we need to talk about the power to live?
Why do we need to talk about the power to live?
The Tohoku Roku Project consists of
a facility combining primary, secondary, and tertiary industries.
a facility combining primary, secondary, and tertiary industries.
There may some audience members who are already familiar with the project.
There may some audience members who are already familiar with the project.
There may be some audience members who are already familiar with the project.
But today I will be focusing more on
why we’re doing this project in the first place,
why we’re doing this project in the first place,
what we learned through March 11,
and ideas we want to keep passing on.
These are the themes I’d like to base my speech on today.
These are the themes I’d like to base my speech on today.
That day, we lost so much
but also learned many things.
How do we keep passing this knowledge onto our future generations?
How do we keep passing this knowledge onto our future generations?
There’re incidents which never left my mind.
There’re incidents which never left my mind.
The day after the disaster,
there was a corpse hanging from a telephone pole,
right in front of my eyes.
When I saw a father hauling up his own daughter from the river,
I knew I could never do that.
Why push a project so far that we go into debt?
Borrowing money is possible when you’re alive.
Looking up is possible when you’re alive
Then, what exactly is that living force that exists in those moments?
Then it occurred to me.
That day, I was really hungry.
With deflation, there was nothing left in the supermarkets.
With deflation, there was nothing left in the supermarkets.
What is food?
That day, calls wouldn’t go through to friends, lovers, and family.
That day, calls wouldn’t go through to friends, lovers, and family.
How sad, how worrying it is to be cut off from people.
How sad, how worrying it is to be cut off from people.
I was starving in this prosperous country of mine
I was starving in this prosperous country of mine
for the first time in my life.
In the midst of that, a single thought kept recurring.
Going back 40, 50, or 90 years,
have people changed so much since then?
have people changed so much since then?
Maybe people have grown weaker with the technology development.
Maybe people have grown weaker with the technology development.
People are investing in more for technology as we speak.
Trying yet again to obtain prosperity.
It’s almost like natural energy.
But why did food disappear from shelves that day?
But why did food disappear from shelves that day?
There were crops.
But they were under the soil.
It was cold that day, wasn’t it?
Farmers were digging out crops at midnight with their red swollen hands,
Farmers were digging out crops at midnight with their red swollen hands,
driving them around town with little gasoline they had.
Yet consumers only questioned,
“Why are they so expensive?”
Citizens and consumers lacked consideration towards the farmers.
Citizens and consumers lacked consideration towards the farmers.
Imagine, 364 days’ worth of agricultural effort
being lost in a single hurricane: in one natural disaster.
being lost in a single hurricane: in one natural disaster.
But what would the consumers know?
What care do they have for farmers?
That day, many thoughts ran through my head;
How citizens and consumers lack in consideration.
How citizens and consumers lack in consideration.
Or how someone’s well-being can take away from another’s.
Agriculture, Japan’s proud industry procuring our food, is left catastrophic.
Agriculture, Japan’s proud industry procuring our food, is left catastrophic.
The aftermath taking us 1, and now 2 years since then.
The primary sector is being forgotten.
How do we recreate a culture that supports agriculture,
How do we recreate a culture that supports agriculture,
or reconstruct our values towards
the people who have been protecting our lives?
the people who have been protecting our lives?
Do we simply go back in time?
I think we need to keep on moving forward.
And that’s why this project exists.
Next, what does it mean “to work?”
During March 11, there was a moment when money meant nothing.
During March 11, there was a moment when money meant nothing.
A million yen could not buy cabbage or milk.
A million yen could not buy cabbage or milk.
When circulation was cut off,
we looked to our local communities.
When I went deep into the Ishinomaki mountains,
I found people sharing their rice or miso soup over some candles.
I found people sharing their rice or miso soup over some candles.
I found people sharing their rice or miso soup over some candles.
While 200m ahead,
a horde of people among their nameless neighbors
a horde of people among their nameless neighbors
simply waited for emergency supplies to come in.
I realized that the foundation upon which a community gains meaning and appreciation
is life itself.
Community is a network, which raises lives together.
Community is a network, which raises lives together.
Another incident emphasized the meaning of work.
Another incident emphasized the meaning of work.
For those who lost their family, children,
lovers, and parents,
What value did money have for them?
Making money seemed pointless to me.
We gain money so that we can eat dinner with our friends and family,
so that we can go on trips with someone special.
So then, the minute we lose these loved ones,
So then, the minute we lose these loved ones,
what importance does money leave us with?
Bearing this in mind,
I received these words while I was in the affected areas.
I received these words while I was in the affected areas.
That they were going to go crazy, without work.
Our project highlighted an underlying issue, which wasn’t simply about making money.
Our project highlighted an underlying issue, which wasn’t simply about making money.
When we lose our closest ones,
people do things for other people.
Working isn’t solely a person doing something.
It’s doing something for another person.
And the idea that money could compensate this,
an obvious narrative was flipped in that one moment.
an obvious narrative was flipped in that one moment.
To go crazy without work
isn’t a desperate plea for money.
It is a need to be with somebody, after losing a loved one.
It is a need to be with somebody, after losing a loved one.
To hold onto oneself by interacting with people in an event like today.
Our project was realized out of those needs.
Our project was realized out of those needs.
What we need to reconsider is
how we can return to our roots and reform values together,
how we can return to our roots and reform values together,
our children's education,
and food issues aforementioned.
Our children have only seen the cabbage or daikons neatly lined up on shelves.
Our children have only seen the cabbage or daikons neatly lined up on shelves.
They have never experienced the act of harvesting crops.
They have never experienced the act of harvesting crops.
We need to learn the processes.
To not only know its good taste,
but to be able to imagine how the products got there.
but to be able to imagine how the products got there.
To work means to engage with other people
To work means to engage with other people
and to learn how new values can be innovated.
and to learn how new values can be innovated.
It is not only about reviving our farmlands and fisheries,
It is not only about reviving our farmlands and fisheries,
but to consider how our primary, secondary, and tertiary industries can merge
but to consider how our primary, secondary, and tertiary industries can merge
to form a new industry altogether.
This is our ongoing project.
Some of you may be familiar with it already.
In this way,
we grow vegetable gardens as part of the primary sector,
directly using the harvested buckwheat in soba restaurants.
directly using the harvested buckwheat in soba restaurants.
We can even watch the soba being made in the bakery.
We can even watch the soba being made in the bakery.
Wheat would be grown, breads baked.
There would be markets
and kitchen studios.
There would be added value to the food that is served,
like learning how to create fire.
We would facilitate a place where children could learn all these things.
We would facilitate a place where children could learn all these things.
We are planning to open our very first building on March 11 of next year,
and to open all of them by summer.
With the recent onset of the innovative “sixth” industry,
With the recent onset of the innovative “sixth” industry,
we’re not trying to commercialize it in our facility.
we’re not trying to commercialize it in our facility.
There are other themes such as:
environment, welfare, and disaster prevention.
This facility runs on efficient energy management.
This facility runs on efficient energy management.
It doesn’t mean it covers all of the energy
It doesn’t mean it covers all of the energy
but it calculates the most efficient energy usage
to run a commercial facility.
With just water, flour, and fire,
we can feed 3,000 citizens.
That's why we are making soba noodles and bread.
Next is welfare. During the disaster, mothers of physically challenged children
felt helplessness as their sons and daughters yelled uncontrollably
felt helplessness as their sons and daughters yelled uncontrollably
at the evacuation shelters.
They wondered
why the people around them could not be more considerate.
Our facility will serve as a welfare center.
Our facility will serve as a welfare center.
To responsibly provide good products and service
To responsibly provide good products and service
so that the so-called socially vulnerable people
can protect their region
and take part in the core of their town.
That’s the kind of facility we envision.
That’s the kind of facility we envision.
The “6” in our Tohoku Roku (6) Project points to
the 6 Tohoku prefectures creating the sixth industry,
6 people of different aspirations
brought together by their 6th senses.
Roku (6) has such connotations.
Roku (6) has such connotations.
On an endnote, we all began farming last year.
On an endnote, we all began farming last year.
We said, “Hey, we gotta move forward first.”
What I want you to take away in these last moments is that
“Actions define a person.”
Anything can be easily said.
Continual everyday effort is necessary to employ 70 workers.
Continual everyday effort is necessary to employ 70 workers.
Continual everyday effort is necessary to employ 70 workers.
The fact that you’ve come all the way here today,
The fact that you’ve come all the way here today,
shows that you have taken action too.
shows that you have taken action too.
instead of “What should I do?”
it’s about asking, “What can I do?”
I was moved by the staff working today for this event.
I was moved by the staff working today for this event.
All these people are cooperating to create this event.
All these people are cooperating to create this event.
That’s definitely taking the initiative.
I would like each one of you
to put your thoughts into action as well.
Within the next 3 years, we aim employing 200 people.
Within the next 3 years, we aim employing 200 people.
We hope that resolving Tohoku issues will connect to resolving Japan’s.
We hope that resolving Tohoku issues will connect to resolving Japan’s.
And that resolving Japan’s will lead to doing something for the world.
And that resolving Japan’s will lead to doing something for the world.
That is what we hope.
Tohoku 6 Project is made possible by our many volunteers.
Tohoku 6 Project is made possible by our many volunteers.
Tohoku 6 Project is made possible by our many volunteers.
People of corporations have also been very supportive.
People of corporations have also been very supportive.
Let’s envision ourselves passing the word down to someone 90 years down the road.
Let’s envision ourselves passing the word down to someone 90 years down the road.
We need to focus not on our interests of today,
but on a future society where our children can grow old
and where more papas and mamas can live.
and where more papas and mamas can live.
With you, we want to raise Japan and Tohoku.
With you, we want to raise Japan and Tohoku.
Thank you.