Japanese firms help rebuild quake-affected areas

The Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011 caused extensive damage to the Tohoku area in Japan.

This agricultural high school building was washed away by the tsunami and the experimental facilities were destroyed.

Many companies are offering to support the reconstruction.

Kubota Corporation, a major agricultural equipment manufacturer, has provided various support to this agricultural school.

Yasunori Kawachi, General Manager, CSR Planning Department, Kubota Corporation, said, "The production line for domestic market is in front and the one in the back is the These high school students will benefit agriculture in the future, so we decided to actively support them."

Students began to grow soba that was suitable to the environment after the earthquake.

Masahiro Yamane, D. AGR., Miyagi Prefecture Agricultural High School, said, "By using soba, we really want to help people who suffered from the earthquake. We sprinkled soba seeds near Sendai Airport. When landing at Sendai Airport from the sea side, passengers can see heart-shaped art made by soba. By using soba to create the heart shape on the salt-damaged farmland near the airport, we expressed the spirit of restoring the affected area."

Memorial and reconstruction commemoration events are held every year in areas that suffered from the earthquake.

The students who have been making soba noodles in temporary houses performed for volunteers and visitors who observed the event.

Anju Kanayamazawa, Second Year, Miyagi Prefecture Agricultural High School, "It is very nice to hear various comments such as 'Amazing to see it's done by high school students' or 'Delicious.'

Kubota employees also participated and delivered brown rice bread which was made through supporting activities for the Kumamoto earthquake that occurred in 2016.

At the venue, various lanterns displaying wishes of reconstruction were decorated and various programs were held.

It was a day showing that the people have power to defeat natural disasters.

Kawachi further said, 'The Kubota Group operates in the fields of food, water and the environment. We would like to build relationships through communication with local communities and society. By doing so, we aim to coexist with society as a good corporate citizen. In the future, we would like to continue actively contributing to society not only in Japan but also in Asia and around the world."

Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar generates approximately 1,600 tons of garbage. Appropriate garbage disposal facilities are urgently needed.

As the first Joint Crediting Mechanism project in the country, Myanmar's first waste incineration power plant produced by JFE Engineering Corporation has been completed.

JCM (Joint Crediting Mechanism) is a system that can be utilized to achieve Japan's emission reduction targets by disseminating excellent environmental technologies to developing countries.

In this plant, 60 tons of waste are incinerated per day, generating about 5,200 MWh of electricity per year. Annually energy-originated CO2 emissions are reduced by approximately 2,400 tons.

JFE Engineering Corporation is the industry's leading manufacturer in Japanese waste power plants. In foreign countries, it has been engaged in various infrastructure developments centered in Southeast Asia.

For over 20 years, it has contributed to infrastructure development in Myanmar using a wide range of product technologies. In order to advance this project, three years ago, a joint venture was established with the Ministry of Construction of Myanmar.

Tsutomu Oyama, Project Manager, Yangon WtE Plant Project, JFE Engineering Corporation, said, "Operators from all over the world, not just Japan, are carrying out the operation with local Burmese operators. As an aid from Japan, an online monitoring system has been introduced and it was our company's first trial."

Yasuhisa Miwa, General Manager, Yangon Branch, JFE Engineering Corporation, said, "Up until now, we have contributed to infrastructure development, such as bridges and roads. In the future, we would like to continue contributing to support people's lives in fields such as Waste to Energy, water supply, or power generation. Leveraging the expertise cultivated here, we hope to cooperate with our branch in Southeast Asian countries to develop business in this region."

As the demand for infrastructure development accompanying economic development increases, it seems that further improvement of Japanese technology in Southeast Asia can be expected.