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東日本大震災 生活・産業基盤復興再生募金 ヤマト福祉財団

Yamato Welfare Foundation


The 1st-5th Stages Beneficiaries' Descriptions →新規ウィンドウで開きます


About the donation for
restoration of the areas
affected by the Great East
Japan Earthquake


Message and report from
   the Yamato Group

Every package we deliver also carries hope.

This is our first report of the New Year, 2012. A full cycle of four seasons has nearly passed since the day of the earthquake and tsunami. Our yearlong program to help rebuild the fishing and agriculture industries and restore infrastructure in the affected areas continues. For every parcel we deliver, we donate ten yen for this purpose. The total number of parcels handled since April last year has now reached 1,107,876,576 (as of December 31—193,618,979 parcels in December alone.) And the total amount donated to date is ¥11,078,765,760 (US$144 million*). Once again, we would like to thank each and every customer who has used our delivery service.

All the funds collected are distributed through the East Japan Great Earthquake Life, Industry Infrastructure Recovery, and Rebuilding Relief Fund, administrated by the Yamato Welfare Foundation to be used to support the affected areas in a tangible and visible manner. Following the announcements made in September and October of the first and second groups of relief fund recipients, the Yamato Welfare Foundation conducted the third review committee meeting on December 12 where it was determined that a total of approximately ¥2.2 billion would go to five new projects. The total amount of relief funds donated up to now has reached nearly ¥8.5 billion. The committee reaffirmed its goals of providing ''visible, rapid, and highly effective support'' and of working toward the distribution of relief funds and using the funds in ways that create new models for restoration. Specifically, the committee will focus on the support of recovery projects that require urgency and that are not easily subject to government subsidies. The outcome of this meeting will be detailed at the end of this report.

The recovery and restoration projects that received relief funds are steadily taking form. Here are updates on some of them. Aqua Marine Fukushima, an aquarium in Fukushima Prefecture, was one of the first recipients and used ¥80 million in relief funds to repair and renovate its facilities. All the restoration work was completed on December 15. The fish tanks and air conditioning systems became fully operable on the 16th, enabling tropical fish and other southern fauna to be kept and displayed in stabilized environments. This marks an important step for Aqua Marine Fukushima, which is a symbol of tourism in Fukushima Prefecture, where a million people visit annually.

Soma Harbor in Fukushima Prefecture, in the second group of fund recipients, used relief funds of ¥103 million to reopen the route for container ships—work that was completed December 17. Cranes that were repaired with relief funds are being used for landing and loading. With the water route reopened, Soma Harbor is now able to play a bigger role in the full-scale recovery and restoration of the affected areas. It is supporting the recovery of local industries as a strategic distribution center port and harbor not only for Fukushima Prefecture but also for the Southern Tohoku area. Considering the total cost required in the restoration of the affected areas, our contribution is modest. However, it gives us great satisfaction to witness industries restarting operations even though only partially, and to see smiles returning to people's faces. We will continue to conduct our program in gratitude to the people in the affected areas who helped nurture our parcel delivery service.

On December 21, the Yamato Foundation announced that ￥2.2 billion in relief funds would be distributed to the following five projects: 　•　In a project to support the restoration of ice making and ice storage facilities in 　　Iwate Prefecture, funds will be used to help speed the recovery and improve 　　sanitary management of 13 fish markets in Iwate Prefecture. 　•　As part of a project to restore cooperative fishery facilities in Iwate Prefecture, 　　funds will be used to help restore distribution of marine products and repair 　　processing facilities at fishing ports. 　•　A project to construct hydroponic agriculture cultivation facilities at Kawauchi 　　 Village, Fukushima Prefecture will use funds to help build facilities that will use 　　 safe and clean groundwater to start a new form of agriculture in the evacuation 　　 areas once the emergency evacuation order is lifted.

•　In a project for the new Nagomi, Soma Regional Mental Health Care Center, 　　funds will be used for maintenance and operations costs. The Center provides 　　support and care for people in Soma and South Soma City, and Shinchi-machi. 　•　As part of a project to relocate and restore Takekoma Nursery in Rikuzen Takata 　　City, Iwate Prefecture, funds will be used to rebuild the tsunami-affected nursery 　　in a safe, elevated area. Of the five projects, the hydroponic culture facility in Fukushima and the Takekoma Nursery in Iwate Prefecture could not receive government subsidies. January 10, 2012 ＊Based on exchange rate of US$1.00 = ¥76.94 as of December 31, 2011.

YAMATO GROUP