Held the 4th "Michinoku Reconstruction Project Symposium" Shaping the Future of Regions from Tohoku ~Considering the Role of Companies Going Forward~

Michinoku Reconstruction Project Partners, co-hosted with NPO ETIC., will hold a symposium on March 8th—the fifth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake—to consider the future of local communities and the evolving role of businesses, drawing on past Tohoku reconstruction practices.

The Michinoku Reconstruction Project Partners is a platform where companies collaboratively support entrepreneurs, NPOs, and organizations active in Tohoku. Currently, six companies participate alongside Dentsu Inc.: Isuzu Motors, Kao, JCB, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance, Toshiba, and Benesse Holdings.

While the disaster-affected areas of Tohoku have entered a phase where the foundations for daily life are being established through relocation to higher ground and the construction of reconstruction housing, social challenges that existed even before the disaster—such as population decline, aging, and economic contraction—are becoming more apparent. This requires more than just infrastructure restoration; it demands new approaches to creating a vibrant economy and enriching daily life.

This symposium will discuss the future form and potential of regional communities, as well as corporate engagement, based on lessons and discoveries from pioneering cases emerging in Tohoku.

〈Symposium Overview〉

Title: The 4th Michinoku Reconstruction Project Symposium

Date & Time: Tuesday, March 8, 3:00 PM - 5:45 PM (Doors open: 2:30 PM)

Location: Dentsu Inc. Hall (Dentsu Inc. Headquarters Building, 1-8-1 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)

Co-hosted by: Michinoku Reconstruction Project Partners, NPO ETIC.

Target Audience: Corporate CSR/Social Contribution Officers, HR Officers, Individuals Interested in Reconstruction and Regional Revitalization

Capacity: 300 people

〈Program Details〉(Subject to change; titles omitted)

■Keynote Speech: What Future for Regional Development Emerges from Tohoku?

① Kosuke Motani, Senior Research Fellow, Japan Research Institute

② Daisuke Maki, Representative Director, Forest School Holdings (Considering Tohoku through the Nishiawakura Case Study)

■Presentations by Key Players Active in Tohoku

① Daigo Hashimoto, Representative Director, Ripurasu

② Takuya Hasegawa, Fisherman Japan

③ Yosuke Komatsu, Representative Director, NPO Asu e no Kibō

★Moderator: Koji Yamauchi, Director & Business Director, NPO ETIC.

■Discussion: Considering the Future Role of Business

　Hideto Irikawa, Representative Director, Irikawa Style & Holdings

　Daisuke Maki, President & CEO, Forest School Holdings

　NPO Asu Henokiho Representative Director Yosuke Komatsu

★Moderator: Haruo Miyagi, Representative Director, NPO ETIC.

Dentsu Inc . Informationhttp://www.dentsu.co.jp/news/topics/2016/0208-008662.html