cci Presents "Social Media Week TOKYO" Opens ~ Prime Minister Abe's Wife, Akie Abe, Participates by Phone in Fukushima Pre-Event

Cyber Communications Inc. (cci) held "Social Media Week TOKYO Pre-Event @ Fukushima" at the International Art & Design College in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, on February 16th. This served as a pre-event for the company-hosted "Social Media Week TOKYO" (February 17th-21st). The theme was "Fukushima Agriculture and Social Communication." Prime Minister Abe's wife, Akie Abe, who has a strong interest in agriculture and personally cultivates rice in her home prefecture of Yamaguchi, appeared via telephone. She had been scheduled to participate in the talk session but was forced to appear by phone due to transportation issues caused by severe weather.

Mrs. Abe shared her farming experience, stating, "I started rice farming anticipating an era of self-sufficiency. I value traditional farming methods and strive to work by hand." She also mentioned her approach to using social media. Expressing hope for the future of Fukushima agriculture, she offered encouragement: "I support Fukushima's agriculture. I hope you will continue striving to produce delicious ingredients."

In Part 1, Professor Masanori Nonaka of Niigata University gave a lecture titled "Three Years After the Disaster: The Front Lines of Fukushima Farmers." Drawing on his experience visiting Fukushima Prefecture over 250 times since the Great East Japan Earthquake, he introduced the activities of people working to rebuild agriculture in Fukushima.

In the second part, a talk show began with Ms. Kiyomi Suzuki of the Koriyama Brand Vegetables Council explaining Koriyama brand vegetables, such as the sweet "Gozen Carrot" that even children who dislike vegetables can eat.

Professor Nonaka and freelance announcer Jun Hori joined the discussion, exchanging views on the potential of information sharing using social media. The session was moderated by Suguru Seo, Editor-in-Chief of Gendai Business.

Holding Koriyama Brand Vegetables: From left, Mr. Seo, Ms. Suzuki, Mr. Nonaka, and Mr. Hori

 

Social Media Week is held in eight cities worldwide under the theme "The Future of Now: Always On, Always Connected." (The world has changed into an era of "connection" beyond anything we've ever imagined.) This year's "Social Media Week TOKYO" is hosted by cci, the event's host partner in Japan. Over five days, approximately 40 sessions and hackathons will be held across four locations in Tokyo. These sessions will explore social trends and the future brought about by social media across politics, culture, entertainment, education, marketing, and more.

*Hackathon = An event where programmers gather to collaborate on development projects within a short timeframe