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Hope beyond the Disaster

On June 24, the Japanese government enacted the Basic Act on Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake, which aims to define the basic concept for achieving a recovery in those parts of Japan that were devastated by the earthquake, facilitate smooth and rapid recovery, and to rebuild a vital Japan. Under this new legislation, Tatsuo Hirano was appointed Minister for Reconstruction in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Goshi Hosono was appointed Minister for the Restoration from and Prevention of Nuclear Accidents.

On June 28, Prime Minister Naoto Kan held the first meeting of the Headquarters for the Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake that was established within the Prime Minister's Cabinet under the Basic Act. At the meeting, Dr. Makoto Iokibe, chair of the Reconstruction Design Council in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, explained the contents of the proposal which was submitted to the Prime Minister from the Reconstruction Design Council on June 25.

The proposal, titled "Toward Reconstruction—Hope beyond the Disaster," offers plans for achieving a recovery in the affected areas. The framework ideas of the proposal are listed as "Seven Principles for the Reconstruction Framework," and suggest, for example, "For us, the surviving, there is no other starting point for the path to recovery than to remember and honor the many lives that have been lost. Accordingly, we shall record the disaster for eternity, including through the creation of memorial forests and monuments, and we shall have the disaster scientifically analyzed by a broad range of scholars to draw lessons that will be shared with the world and passed down to posterity."

The Headquarters for the Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake will work from the proposals of the Reconstruction Design Council in drafting a basic policy on reconstruction and pushing the plan forward. In his speech to open the Headquarters, Kan said, "I ask that you do your utmost to ensure that the reconstruction work meets the expectations of the people and proceeds promptly, without interrupting any of the measures we have taken to date and the measures we need to make moving forward."

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