３ . １１ 東日本大震災～自然災害とユース世代の課題～

PSI -JC Youth Network

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The March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake

- Natural Disasters and Issues for the Youth -

１．被災状況- Rescue and relief efforts by fire and ambulance services -

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1. Conditions and Damage in the Affected Area

Name of earthquake The 2011 Tohoku Pacific Ocean Earthquake

Time and date of occurrence 14:46, March 11, 2011

Epicenter Off the coast of Sanriku, in the Pacific Ocean

Depth 24 kmMaximum magnitude

(Japanese scale) 7

Type Subduction zone earthquake

Moment magnitude 9.0

Number of deaths 15,799 (As of Sep. 20, the Cabinet Office)

Number of missing 4,053 (As of Sep. 20, the Cabinet Office)

Number of injured 5,927 (As of Sep. 20, the Cabinet Office)Conditions and damage in

the affected areaTsunami, collapsed buildings, radioactive

leaks, fire, and liquefied ground

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Dispatch status of emergency fire response teamsOperation period March 11 to June 6, 2011

Total number of dispatched members

(Total number including multiple dispatches)

28,620 members（ 104,093 ）

Total number of dispatched teams (Total number including multiple

dispatches)

7,577 teams（ 27,544 teams ）

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２．震災が日本（地域 / 国）の　　公共サービスに与えた影響

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2. Influences of the Quake on Public Services in Japan (Regional / National)

ライフラインの破壊Disruption of essential utilities, e.g., electricity, gas, water, sewage, and com-munications, to residences

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* The tsunami-devastated area lost all essential utilities. In the broad area beyond the tsunami-devastated area, water, sewage, and gas supplies were interrupted due to power outages and ground liquefaction.

* The public services that are directly linked to survival were destroyed.

Destruction of essential utilities (“lifeline”)

交通の遮断All means of transportation were disrupted.

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Roads sagged and bridges were washed away. Rail services experienced power outages and destruction of railroad tracks, elevated tracks, and train station buildings. Public buses were swept away by the tsunami. Sendai Airport was overwhelmed and flooded by the tsunami.Immediately after the quake, fuel shortages occurred, which influenced all sectors including public transportation.

Traffic disruption

自治体機能の停止

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• Local government buildings were destroyed. Just like ordinary citizens, local government employees also became victims of the quake. Some of them are dead or missing.

• Confirmation of the safety and evacuation status of residents was also difficult.

Breakdown of local government functionsLocal governments themselves were destroyed.

３．震災時に公共サービス /公共部門労働者が果たした役割

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3. Roles Played by Public Sector Workers / Public Services after the Quake

生きるための公共サービスの維持

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Maintenance of public services for survivalPerformed with the aim of protecting lives immediately after the quake and reestab- lishing daily life in the affected area

４．労働組合が果たした役割- Volunteer activities and reconstruction assistance efforts -

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4. Roles Played by Trade Unions

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５．震災がユースに与えた影響

- Cancellation of employment offers and business bankruptcies -

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5. Impacts of the Quake on the Youth

More than 200 companies were driven into bankruptcy by the quakeThe number of companies affected indirectly by the quake exceeded the number of companies affected directly by the quake. The number of failed companies as a result of the 2011 Great East Japan

Earthquake reached 229 as of July 8 (according to a survey conducted by the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry).

・ Of the 229 cases, 178 are bankruptcies. The total debt climbed to 106.771 billion yen.

・ Examination of the 178 bankruptcies caused by the “earthquake and related incidences” according to the type of business reveals: 48 bankruptcies in service businesses including lodging businesses, the largest number in all types of businesses, followed by 46 in manufacturing, 27 in wholesale, and 24 in construction.

・ Bankruptcies of manufacturing and service businesses account for approximately half of all the bankruptcies.

・ Furthermore, the 229 bankruptcies can be classified into “indirect” bankruptcies (207 cases, composition rate: 90.4%) and “direct” bankruptcies (22 cases, composition rate: 9.6%). These data suggest that the number of “indirect” bankruptcies is by far larger than the number of “direct” bankruptcies.

・ The number of businesses in serious financial trouble has been increasing with the passage of time.

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The impact of business bankruptcies has extended to individuals with employment offersApproximately 3,000 individuals were affected by the cancellation of employment offers or postponed employment start dates by furlough and other means. Cancellation of employment offers: 416 individuals (121 businesses),

postponed employment start dates: 2,366 individuals (266 businesses) (according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan between March 11 and June 30)　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　• The quake significantly affected not only current workers, but also the youth who

were going to commence employment.

• In some cases, employment offers were cancelled because of an inability to assess the timing of the resumption of operations of factories which were destroyed by the tsunami. In other cases, business facilities were catastrophically damaged by the quake and businesses had difficulties in continuing their operations. Overall, there tended to be a loss of work sites themselves and cutbacks in hiring due to the downsizing of business operations.

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The government responded quickly (however, how effective was it…?) The Japanese Health Minister requested major economic organizations to preserve employment for workers and hire quake victims (April 11). The government has been assisting business owners to preserve

employment and hire quake victims in order to support their employment and living.

• “The disaster victims’ employment and living will be supported by ‘Japan becoming one’” was established as a basic guideline, and the entire effort was named the “‘Japan as One’ Work Project.”

• The support efforts include the preservation of employment of workers with the use of an employment adjustment subsidy, proactive participation of employers in offering employment both inside and outside the affected area, and proactive recruitment of graduates who were affected by the quake and remain unemployed.

• As a result of these efforts by the government, the recovery in corporate earnings, and other factors, the employment market improved after the quake. However, the employment market was flat during the July period, and thus remains severe. 18

６．若年失業者はなぜ出たか- The path toward recovery is long, and young people wish to work in their local areas -

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6. Why Some Youths Ended Up Unemployed

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Finding employment in the employment seekers’ local areas Urgent need for assistance to companies affected by the quake July 9, 2011 (news report) About half a month had passed since the quake. Ikeharaya (18 years old), who had earlier been offered a position at a company in Ofunato City, was visited by a recruiter from the company.

“Regrettably, …” Bowing deeply, the recruiter informed Mr. Ikeharaya of the cancellation of the job offer. Mr Ikeharaya was aware that the company had suffered greatly from the quake. Chagrin and anguish were written all over the recruiter’s face.

“I was quite surprised, but there was no way I could blame that person (the recruiter).” Mr. Ikeharaya gave up his pursuit of joining the company and visited the Ofunato Public Employment Service Center.

The number of visitors to the Service Center per day increased to more than 1,000 after the quake from approximately 200 visitors prior to the quake. “I want to live the rest of my life without having to stay away from my family and childhood friends” – the dream of finding employment in his local area, to which he had adhered, was crushed.

In the jurisdiction of the Ofunato Employment Service Center, 18 students experienced cancellation of job offers. Many of these students are seeking new employment while working as temporary employees at government offices. Every day, Mr. Ikeharaya is also devoting himself to organizing employment information he finds at the Service Center and seeking employment as close to his home as possible.

However, it is accurate to say that the job market in the Kesen Region is devastated. The job-offers-to-seekers ratio within the jurisdiction of the Service Center is 0.26, the lowest in Iwate Prefecture.

Recruitment is nowhere in sight for many of the local companies. An officer at the Service Center sighs saying “Even during visits to companies for exploring employment opportunities, we are turned down being told ‘it does us no good to be visited at this time.’”

The impact of the devastated job market on graduates this spring cannot be avoided, either. Within the jurisdiction of the Service Center, 172 students hope to be employed after their graduation. 29.7% of these students hope to find employment in their local areas. Compared to 47.3% of such students in the same jurisdiction from the previous year, the number has dropped considerably on the back of the bleak employment situation. Nonetheless, 51 students hope to find employment in their hometowns. Yet, not a single job opening was posted by a company in the job opening listing that was released on July 1 for high school students graduating this spring.

７．若者が考える公共サービス

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- Taking young workers into the public sector -

7. Public Services that Incorporate Ideas of the Youth