BEYOND Tomorrow
Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012

October 12-14, 2012

Tohoku Future Manifesto by Students from Disaster Communities

Venue：
National Olympics Memorial Youth Center
Organized by： Global Fund for Education AssistanceFunded by:
Japan Society
Supported by： Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

BEYOND Tomorrow is a project established to support the young victims of
the Great East Japan Earthquake to become future leaders.

BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012 Summary

Organized by

Global Fund For Education AssistanceFunded by

Japan Society

Supported by

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Dates

October 12-14, 2012

Participants- 60 high school students who were living in Iwate, Miyagi, or Fukushima
prefectures during the Great East earthquake and tsunami, but overcame
their adversity with a global perspective and an ambition to become a leader
in a domestic and international domain.
(Selected through application screening)- 15 university students who were living in Iwate, Miyagi, or Fukushima
prefectures during the Great East earthquake and tsunami, have participatedin at least one past BEYOND Tomorrow program, and have exhibited active
participation in society to work towards a brighter future.

PurposeThe participants divided into 10 groups, and under the guidance of
established leaders in various fields, established policies for Tohoku’s
recovery and created a proposal as a group.
The underlying belief is that precisely because they have experienced thetragedy of the earthquake and tsunami, these students are able to become
empathetic activists and serve a larger society. At this summit the students,
as survivors of the disaster, reflected on what roles in society they must fulfill,
and how to convert these ideas into action.

Message
Motoatsu Sakurai
President
Japan Society“It’s never too early to think about how you can make adifference in your community, in Japan, and in the world”

Dear Students:
All over the world, students struggle to figure out who they are, what theywant to do, and how they can contribute to the world around them, and all of
you face this challenge too. However, your lives have also forever beenchanged by circumstances beyond your control.
Despite this, I hope you will all remember that you can take charge of yourlife by how you respond to the things life throws at you, both good and bad.
You may not know it yet, but you have all taken a positive early step to taking
charge by becoming BEYOND Tomorrow students, and I want to take thisopportunity to congratulate each one of you for this achievement.
As participants in The Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012, you have been
given a unique opportunity to learn from each other and to learn from leading
figures in Japan today, including Haruo Miyagi, Motohisa Furukawa, Toru
Takanarita, and the select group of professionals that have worked with youthese past few days on creating your own proposals for the recovery of
Tohoku. This is no small task, but you have already shown that you areintelligent, courageous, resilient and determined.
Although you may hear that you are “young,” it’s never too early to think
about how you can make a difference in your community, in Japan, and in theworld, and it’s never too early to transform your ideas into action.
It is with great pleasure that Japan Society partners with BEYOND Tomorrowby supporting its work to mentor and guide all of you, the next generation ofleaders from Tohoku who we know will do great things, some big and somesmall, for Japan and the world.
We look forward to watching you grow and become global leaders.

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Contents

1.

Message03

2.

Program Overview

05

I.

List of the Participating Students

07

II.

Voices from the Participating Students

09

III.

Schedule

13

3.

Sharing of experiences

15

4.

Proposals for the Future of Tohoku

17

I.

Interview Sessions with Tohoku Recovery specialists

19

II.

Dialogue with Leaders

21

III.

The Closing Plenary /Final Presentations

23

5.

Participating Supporters

28

6.

Media Coverage

32

7.

Acknowledgements

35

8.

About BEYOND Tomorrow

36

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October 2012: A year and a half after the disaster, 75 students from the affected redestructive forces that attacked the shores of Northern Japan; those who still live ihearts; those who are sharing their stories with the world by studying abroad.

What everyone has in common is the commitment to create Tohoku’s future with their

The university students who have already been participating in BEYOND Tomorrowembark on a journey from the towns that were homes to the university students as we
the insightful teenagers. In this environment, the high schoolers sharpened their kn
strength,” all of the leaders at the summit were kept on their toes throughout the thr

Tohoku Future Lead
Sharing of Experience

High School Students
60 high school students who were
living in Iwate, Miyagi, or Fukushima
prefectures during the Great East
earthquake and tsunami, but
overcame their adversity an ambition
to become a leader with a global
perspective and in a domestic andinternational domain.

Meeting with peers
Mission as survivors

An opportunity for leade
All the participants, rega
generations, envisioned
Tohoku.
Gools
1. To create Proposals
Tohoku2. Each student to de fvision for him/ her finteracting with lea
different fields

3. To build strong bondstudents through dis
shared ambitions an
opinions

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 5

egions got together. Those who live today having experienced thein evacuation, holding memories of their hometowns dear to theirr own hands.

w programs led the younger generation who are getting ready toell. The leaders from various professional fields were challenged bynowledge. Keeping in mind the motto of “converting despair intoree days.

University Students

aders Summit

ership over 2 nights.
ardless of fields andthe future ofto the Future offine a specificfuture uponaders active in

15 university students who were living in Iwate, Miyagi, or Fukushima
prefectures during the Great East earthquake and tsunami, haveparticipated in at least one past BEYOND Tomorrow program, andhave exhibited active participation in society to work towards abrighter future

Policy Advisors
Leaders who are active in various fields
giving advice for students to make “Tohoku
Future Manifesto”.

ds among thescussion of theirnd exchange of
Dialogue with
Leaders

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 6

Participating Students
This summit targets young people who, despite facing great adversity,
maintain a global outlook and have aspirations to actively work on both
domestic and international platforms. Together with 60 high school
students who were selected on an application basis, 15 university students
were also selected to attend, based on their active contribution to society
and other BEYOND Tomorrow programs after having experienced thedisaster first-hand in Iwate, Miyagi, or Fukushima prefectures.

Program
Overview

List of the Participating Students(1/2)
NameHigh School

Name

High School

Iwate
Hideyuki Hirono
Jun Murai
Kana Fujiwara
Kyohei Terui
Mai Kanemori
Manami Omura
Masaya Endo
Mutsumi Abe

Ofunato High School
Morioka Daisan High School
Yamada High School
Ofunato High School
Miyako High School
Ichinoseki First Senior High School
Kanegasaki High School
Yamada High School

Myu Okubo
Miyako High School
Naho Yamazaki
Morioka Daishi High School
Nana Fujiwara
Takata Senior High School
Natsumi Hamato
Kamaishi High School
Norika Sakashita
Miyako High School
Noriko Yusa
Miyako High School
Rin Yamane
Miyako Shogyo High School
Sayaka Shimakoshi Miyako High School

MiyagiAkira Mita
Motoyoshi Hibiki High School
Ami Miura
Kesennuma High School
Arisa Chiba
Ishinomaki Kita High School
Ayaka Otsuki
Ishinomaki Municipal Girl's Senior High School
Ayumi Takahashi
Sendai Shirayuri Gakuen High School
Azusa Murakami
Kesennuma High School
Azusa Sato
Sendai Shirayuri Gakuen High School
Haruka Miura
Ishinomaki Municipal Girl's Senior High School
Joji Suzuki
Sendai First High School
Junichiro Kuroda
Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School
Kaede Sakuma
Ishinomaki Municipal Girl's Senior High School
Kazunori Ochi
Sendai Daisan Senior High School
Keisuke Kisara
Toryo High School
Kenichiro Munakata Sendai First High School

Masa Mishina
Tagajo High School
Masakazu Abe
Kashimadai Shogyo High School
Megumi Sasaki
Sei Urusura Eichi Gakuin High School
Natsumi Takahashi Motoyoshi Hibiki High School
Rina Ishikawa
Tagajo High School
Rinpei Fujita
Kesennuma High School
Sakura Abe
Ishinomaki Kita High School
Saori Okada
Ishinomaki Koubunkan High School
Shiori Kameya
Sendai National College of Technology
Shun Sato
Miyagi Agricultural High School
Taishi Ota
North Natori Senior High School
Tatsuyuki Ono
Ishinomaki Koubunkan High School
Yoshiyuki Ganbe
Ishinomaki Koubunkan High School
Yu Asari
Tokiwagi Gakuen High School

Fukushima
Emi Nishimaki
Ena Kanno
Haruka Yashiro
Hirohito Suzuki
Kengo Sakamoto
Kentaro Sakata

Yoshima High School
Sukagawa Toyo High School
Futaba High School
Fukushima National College of Technology
Taira Technical High School
Yumoto High School

Motoya Kimura
Iwaki Sogo High School
Naoko Endo
Nihon University Tohoku High School
Satomi Hashimoto Fukushima National College of Technology
Yuki Tanaka
Yoshima High School
Yuta Asakura
Haramachi High School

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 7

Program
Overview

List of the Participating Students(2/2)
NameHigh School

Name

High School

Tokyo (Evacuated after the disaster)Yu Sasaki

Joto High School

BEYOND Tomorrow High School Study Abroad Program Participants
Ayaka Ogawa
Atsuko Arimoto

Leelanau School (U.S.)
St. Timothy's School (U.S.)

Ryoko Endo
Sayaka Sugawara

Saint Michael's School (U.K.)
Leysin American School (Switzerland)

List of the Participating University Students
NameHigh School of Origin

Anna Kumagai
Chisato Kuramoto
David Yuga Mansfield
Fukuda Naomi
Hiromi Meguro

Izumi Tateyama High School
Morioka First High School
Sendai First High School
Takata High School
Soma Higashi High School

Ko SatoMasahide Chiba
Masahiro Kikuchi
Minori Endo
Sakae Onodera
Shota Kikuchi
Shinpei Fujita
Tomohiro Kamisawa
Tsubasa Sugeno
Yurie Imai

University

School of Project Design, Miyagi University
Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences, Meiji Pharmaceutical University
School of Law, Waseda University
School of Nursing, Miyagi University
School of Community Service and Science,
Tohoku University of Community Service and Science
Morioka First High School
Faculty of Regional Policy,
Takasaki City University of Economics
Ofunato High School
Faculty of Engineering, Utsunomiya University
Takata High School
School of Social and International Studies, University of Tsukuba
Ishinomaki Kita High School
School of Business administration, Ishinomaki Sensyu University
Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School School of Commerce, Waseda University
Ofunato High School
Faculty of Law, Tohoku Gakuin University
Kishine High School
Faculty of Law, Kanagawa University
Morioka First High School
Faculty of Agriculture, Tohoku University
Fukushima Technical High School Faculty of International Studies, Utsunomiya University
Morioka First High School
School of Law, Keio University

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 8

Student Comments

Satomi Hashimoto
Fukushima National College ofTechnology

Atsuko Arimoto
St. Timothy’s school(U.S.)

What I must do right now is to study
hard and build some knowledge, take on
new challenges, and gain experience.
Previously I didn’t study that hard andled a lazy lifestyle, but from hereon I
am approaching studying seriously,
knowing that memorizing one more
English word now is ultimately
connected to saving lives in the future.
Yuta Asakura
Haramachi High School
It had been a while since I heard thevoices live from the disaster, and it
helped me recall the memories fromthat time that had begun to fade.
Nothing will happen if I just havediscussions and wait for something tohappen. I learned that I have to takeleadership and make things happen
myself. I hope to be proactive in taking
initiatives in the future.
Kaede Sakuma
Ishinomaki Municipal Girl's Senior HighSchoolThe summit helped relieve some of myconcerns. Normally, I feel that I am notable to talk about the disaster thatmuch, and I wasn’t sure if it is better tojust stay silent about it. But at thesummit there were so many others who
empathized with me and allowed me toopen up. My goal now is to write essays
about the disaster, fulfilling a role tocommunicate to the world.
Ami Miura
Kesennuma High School

When I gave presentations about
the disaster at my study abroad
school, the people there hadmany questions because they
were sointerested in what happened. I realized that even though there
are many people who want to know more, there are very few
people to communicate the story to them. Since each person had
a unique experience at the disaster, I recognized how important
it is for every person to have a voice in communicating to theworld. At BEYOND Tomorrow, there are 60 high school students
who each had a unique experience. I wonder if there is a way foreven more high school students to speak out so that that canserve as a catalyst for us to see in what ways high schoolers cantake action now.

Norika Sakashita
Miyako High School
The most important learning for me
was how my thinking changed fromthinking “I want that to happen” to“I can make it happen myself.”
Even at home, I’m watching andrewatching the videos from the summit; I had such a wonderfultime!
Rin Yamane
Miyako Shogyo High School
I didn’t know how to act.
There are many others who haveexperienced so much. I’m not alone.
It’s not just me.
I’m so glad that I participated in
BEYOND Tomorrow and worked with my peers.
I’m so thankful that I came to the summit to prevent myself fromgetting caught up in my own thoughts and instead had theopportunity to hear the opinions of others.

Motoya Kimura
Iwaki Sogo High School

Before the summit I always relied on
adults to take action, but now, through
BEYOND Tomorrow, I met peers who
encouraged me to be proactive, so now
I want to take the initiative. The
proposal advisors and specialists I met
with told
me that I can “start simple,” and thatgives me hope. To start off, I would liketo work with the two other summit
participants from Kesennnuma HighSchool to begin a project likevolunteering or picking up garbage.

I changed the way I see things. I cameto the summit without a specific vision
for myself in the future, but after
speaking to the proposal advisor andother participating students,
I gained a lot of perspective and was able to make my ideas more
specific. I also gained confidence in the things that I did during
the summit.There were students from three prefectures, and thestories and issues differed by prefecture. I recognized how much
we can learn only from speaking to locals.
As my first step forward, I have decided to run for student bodypresident.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 9

Keisuke Kisara
Toryo High School
Up to this point I didn’t talk to
people about the disaster. And
when my teacher told me about
the summit, I initially wasn’t very interested, but then I
thought that maybe this may be a unique opportunity, so I
decided to participate. Before the summit I always thought I
had suffered more than others, but after sharing experienceswith the other participants at the summit, I realize that there
are many, many people who have struggled more than I have.

Sayaka Sugawara
Leysin American school(Switzerland)
There were many young children who
died in my region. I’ve now realizedthat there are things that I can doright now, and I hope to live withenough energy for the sake of thosechildren who weren’t able to realize
their futures. I also want to let
others know about what happened.

Tomohiro Kamisawa
Faculty of Agriculture, Tohoku
University
Last year when I participated in thesummit, I arrived not knowing muchabout the disaster, but after I heard
everyone’s stories I got a better
understanding, and I came home and cried. I asked myself if
there was anything more that I could do.
This year I participated in the summit as a team leader, andI want others to appreciate the importance ofcommunicating our experiences, and I also want to identify
what I can do to help.

Shota Kikuchi
Faculty of Law, Tohoku Gakuin
University
I struggled to find the balance in
how much I should speak up to leadmy team, to encourage the highschoolers to voice their opinions. I really wanted thesummit to be a positive experience for the high schoolers.
After the three worry-filled days passed, I thought that thesummit may just be another fleeting experience in thepast, but I was really happy to receive emails from myfriends even after the summit ended.

Ayumi Takahashi
Sendai Shirayuri Gakuen
High School
Tomorrow I am going to speak to my school principal about
my BEYOND Tomorrow experience. I hope I can do myexperience justice -- all the things that I learned and felt.
And I am also determined to start taking action andinitiative.
I’ve just finished writing up my report for my principal. I
wasn’t told to write a report, but there was just so much I
wanted to communicate. I’ve included plans in my report; I
don’t know if they will come into fruition, but we can’t findout until I try to make them happen. It’s been a while since
I’ve felt so fulfilled! I’m excited to put into action all thethings I have learned in these three days!

Tsubasa Sugeno
Faculty of International
Studies,Utsunomiya University
What I found challenging was toknow much much I should
communicate my own thoughts
to encourage the high schoolers
to communicate their opinions. If I say too much, it will drownout their voices, but if I don’t say enough, the exercise may
not get started. Last year I was a participant, but this year I
came as a team leader, and I discovered how difficult it is toguide a team. I spent the three days thinking a lot about how
to support my team.

Shinpei Fujita
Faculty of Law, Kanagawa
University
Last year, before I came to thesummit, I thought that the day ofthe disaster was just the day ofthe disaster. If I hadn’t comeacross BEYOND Tomorrow, I may
have tried to forget that day. But
thanks to this summit, I have met
friends who stand here beside me,
and I have gotten support insolidifying my goals for the futurethat I am firmly walking towards
now. I have been able toovercome the disaster and face
the future. I want to make surethat 11 March does not go down inhistory as just another disaster.
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Program
Overview
Schedule

12th October(Friday)
20：30
Arrival
20：45～21：55
Orientation
13th October(Saturday)
7：00～ 8：00
Breakfast Session
8：40～ 9：30
3.11 and BEYOND Tomorrow
9：30～10：00
Choir Rehearsal
10：00～10：30
Presentation on the Assignment
10：30～12：00
Sharing of experiences
12：00～12：50
Lunch
12：50～13：35(Discussion) Understanding the needs of the affected region
13：35～14：00
Interview Preparation
14：00～15：00
Interview Sessions with specialists – Lecturers :Kazuhiko Tada
Representative, Tono Magokoro Net
Satoru Nishikawa
Director General of Audit, Japan Water Agency
Haruo Miyagi
President, ETIC.
15：30～16：30(Discussion)Presentation Preparation
16：30～17：00
Progress Review
17：00～18：30(Discussion)Presentation Brush-Up
19：30～21：30
Farewell dinner
14th October(Sunday)
8：30～ 9：00
Choir Rehearsal
9：00～ 10：00
Presentation Practice
11：00～ 13：00
Closing Ceremony/ Final Presentations / Choir
13：00～ 14：30
Farewell lunch

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Sharing Disaster
Experiences

What happened on March 11, 2011? What was lost during thedisaster, and what was gained? How did I change during the year
after the earthquake? Students spoke on these topics in their own
words and listened closely to their peers’ stories. Building
friendships after the disaster -- through sharing their personal
experiences, the students formed a strong bond with each other.

Masahiro Kikuchi
University of Tsukuba,
School of Social and International Studies(Takata High School)“Through BEYOND Tomorrow I learned theimportance of young people displaying leadership.
We, the youth, are the future of the disasterafflicted region. ”
I was living in Rikuzentakata city when the earthquake
hit. It is a rural town on the shores of Iwate prefecture.
On March 11, the earthquake and tsunami shook our town.
When I heard the tsunami warning sirens go off, I ran tohigher ground to evacuate. From there I saw mydevastated hometown.
In my town there used to be tens of thousands of pinetrees lining the coastline as a way to protect the town
from high tides. It was beautiful: the deep green pinetrees contrasting against the backdrop of the white sand.
But the tsunami claimed all the pine trees except for one.
I still can’t forget that sight. It was a place that contained
so many memories for me -- I stood there with a feeling of
emptiness. Eventually even the beach was overtaken by
the ocean because the ground had dropped below sea
level with the earthquake. The beautiful landscape of myhometown will never surface again.
After overcoming the pine tree forest on the shore, thetsunami continued to swallow up town after town. Bit bybit, my town was engulfed by sandy smoke, and all I could
do was watch in shock. Afterwards, I rushed home. My
house was located on relatively high ground, but I was
filled with fear and anxiety that maybe it was swept awayby the water. When I finally arrived, it seemed that thetsunami came right to my front door, as there was a pileof rubble in front of my house. Luckily, my house wasspared. My grandmother who happened to be away frommy house also came home. But no matter how long I
waited, my parents never came home.
There were ultimately 1,800 victims from my town. My
parents were two of them. My grandmother and I visitedmany morgues looking for my parents. I don’t like looking
at dead bodies, so I was not very enthusiastic, but when I
thought about how my parents’ bodies could be rotting
away somewhere, I couldn’t help but go to the morgue.

Countless dead bodies lined the floor of the crowded
morgues. All the bodies had a dusky color and were swollen
with sea water. I looked at these dead bodies day afterday. I always wondered what these people were feeling as
they died.
We went to the morgue again and again, but we could not
find my parents. I nearly gave up.
But two weeks after the earthquake disaster, towards theend of March, we finally found their bodies. When I saw
them, their death suddenly became a reality, and I was
overwhelmed with grief. Until that point I hadn’t criedonce and lived my everyday life without much thought,
considering my parents’ death as something that I couldn’tchange anyway. Seeing their dead bodies in front of me
opened the door to the underlying sadness, and I cried andcried. But we did not have the luxury to grieve for long.
Very difficult days lied ahead for me and my grandmother,and we were now all alone.
The world reached out to us in support during this time.
The help came in all forms, such as donations and rubble
removal, and it is thanks to their help that we are able tobe here today.
My hometown is slowly making its way towards recovery,
but it is also true that there are many issues we must
tackle. For example, unemployment. Many people losttheir jobs due to the earthquake and since then have been
struggling financially. My friend’s mother took her own life
because of this. I imagine that the sorrow of her death in
this situation was felt even more keenly than if she had
died in the tsunami. If we cannot somehow overcome these
problems, the future will remain dark for the affected
regions.
Through BEYOND Tomorrow I learned the importance ofyoung people displaying leadership. We, the youth, are thefuture of the disaster-afflicted region. And it is precisely
because of that that we must stand in the front lines andstep into leadership roles.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 15

Minori Endo
Ishinomaki Sensyu University,
School of Business administration(Ishinomaki Kita High School)“March 11, 2011. Amidst thepersistent, biting cold weather, I lost
everything.”
My name is Minori Endo, and I am from
Ishinomaki city.
March 11, 2011. Amidst the persistent,
biting cold weather, I lost everything.
My beloved hometown. My house that I
grew up in. My father whom I adored. In
just one moment the tsunami swept away
everything.

With BEYOND Tomorrow, I have had many
experiences where I have been able tonurture the strength to become a leader.
This past August I interned at
Representative Furukawa’s office. As would
be expected at a Representative’s office,opportunities to build leadership skills were
aplenty. I quickly understood theimportance of leadership by interacting withthose who carry the nation on theirshoulders. This internship taught me how
crucial it is to engage the people around you
and work together, as well as the fact thatthe best way to influence youth is throughother youth. I believe that I will keep
coming back to these lessons in the futurewhen I am striving to be an effective leader.
When I am older, I would like to support the
future of the affected regions. But what isthe best approach, the best field I canpursue to move towards this end goal?
Currently I am interested in government
administration and business, but will theselead me to where I want to go?
I have recently stopped focusing on
professional fields. They are at best ameans, and what is most important is to dosomething I want to do, no matter what
field it is in. At this point my goal is vague: I
want to somehow help the people in theaffected region. But I am working towards
refining this aspiration into something more
specific. I implore each one of you
attending this summit to use thisopportunity to also reflect for yourselves on
the important question of “What do I want
to do?”

After the tsunami, I called my father, andmiraculously the call went through. My
father told me that he was on his way
home, and I heard the car engine start on
the other side of the phone. This was tobe my last conversation with him.
I had evacuated to high ground, and fromthere I watched as my housedisintegrated under the ravaging tsunami.
The black waters engulfed the entire
town, and I could hear cries for help
everywhere. But there was nothing I
could do. At that moment I realized just
how helpless I was.
I was the only daughter, and as such, I
was always daddy’s little girl. For a longtime I was unable to accept my father’s
death. Until we found my father’s body, I
was in denial and called his cell phoneevery day. I knew that no one would pickup, but every time I called I was
terrified, making sure no one picked up,
and when I did, I would just put down thephone and cry.

On the one-year anniversary of theearthquake disaster, I made a promise tomyself: I want to become someone who
supports others in achieving their dreams
through empathy and compassion. In
times of despair, what saved me was myconnection with people. That’s why I
would like to connect with many people,
be useful, challenge myself, and after
one year, meet a better version ofmyself.
This past summer I went to the UnitedStates and decided I would like tobecome a journalist. Through words I
would like to connect people to eachother. By realizing this new dream, I
believe I am giving back to my beloved
father.

“The past cannot change thepresent, but the present canchange the future into somethingthat shines brilliantly. ”
The past cannot change the present, but
the present can change the future into
something that shines brilliantly. This issomething I have come to believe instrongly, after experiencing theearthquake disaster, forging new
friendships, and taking action towards my
dreams -- and something that I would liketo bring me with me into the future.

While people were speaking about“recovery,” I was stuck in time, unable
to move forward. I wanted to be strong,but I didn’t know what inside of me could
give me any strength. I wanted to bestrong, but I didn’t know what I could do.
The days passed.
It was during this dark time that I cameacross BEYOND Tomorrow. At a time
when I did not know what I could do, I
was introduced to a place where I could
start thinking about what I can do. Until
then I felt all alone, but through BEYOND
Tomorrow I met life-long friends.
Together we have had such meaningfulexperiences, and through this, we havecreated a lasting bond.
Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 16

Proposal for
Shaping Tohoku’s
FutureIn the morning of Day 2, the students were asked to develop plans for
Tohoku’s future.

“Creating a manifesto for Tohoku’s future”
You are the executives of a political party for young people.
You are currently campaigning to win the next election. As such, you must decide on apolicy that will benefit Tohoku’s future.
You, the survivors, know the realities of the affected region -- that is why you have thefacts to accomplish this task.
You, the young people, are the future of the Tohoku region and of Japan -- that is why
you have the vision to accomplish this task.
In this way, you are to create a manifesto to be presented to current and future leaders,
who will then vote in the election.

Tohoku recovery through entrepreneurshipTo present a policy that focuses on revitalizing Tohoku by making it an area that is ripe forbuilding new businesses, facilitating businesses and NPOs to establish themselves there.
Disaster prevention and safety-based city planning that is of global caliber
Fully using the knowledge gained from the tragic experience of the tsunami andearthquake, to present a policy that highlights how to make a city prepared against natural
disasters and safe for its inhabitants.
Tohoku recovery through tourism
Visitors from Japan; visitors from the world -- to present a policy that approaches recovery
via tourism, reviving Tohoku’s charm, creating new traditions, and ultimately presenting
the region as a safe destination.

Rules for Presentation
1.
2.
3.

Create a name for your political party
Decide the members and positions for your cabinet if elected
Establish a catchphrase that encompasses the ethos of your party’s manifesto

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 17

Step 1: Understanding the needs andlistening to the voice of the local victims

Proposal for
Shaping Tohoku’s
FutureAs a first step of creating the manifesto, student participants researched thecurrent needs of the affected region. Based on the needs, what is the mostappropriate policy for this region? Students gathered information from theirown experiences, as well as from opinions of locals.
The students conducted interviews with two locals from the affected region
prior to the summit. After sharing their findings with the other students, they
compared and contrasted them with each other’s findings.
Through these means the students discussed the needs of the affected regiona year and a half after the disaster, taking into account their own and otherlocals’ experiences.

Voices of the locals (excerpt)
Hello Work (the Japanese government’s Employment Service
Center) has many job offers, but there aren’t many applicants
right now. I believe that one issue is how to match the needs
between businesses and job-seekers, and how to create newjobs in this region. Also, I am concerned about the low
motivation to work not only because people are so emotionallytraumatized, but also because the duration of unemployment
benefits has been prolonged. When one believes that one isworking for the sake of others, a sense of self-value is born,which leads to independence. Before worrying about creating
new jobs, it is necessary to change people’s mentalities.
In the fishing industry, everything from boats to rafts was
swept away, and our fishing capacity has fallen drastically, so
we have had to start from square one. What’s more, there arevery few young people in line to take over the industry. It is notpossible to combat these obstacles with just one town, so wehave had to collaborate with other prefectures and regions. I
believe it will be at least another three years before the fishingindustry is back on its feet again.
The issue at hand is that the people living in temporary housing
have nowhere to live or work. People can live in temporary
housing for another three years, but after that they must moveout: they must either live in disaster shelters or construct a newhouse. In the current situation, constructing a house is adifficult option because many people don’t have money since
they can’t find any jobs, and building a house is a very
challenging prospect for elderly people. The people who are left
without options are starting to feel quite anxious.
Since the young people left the area to live in a new house orfind a new job, the problem of the aging population isaggravated even further because the proportion of elderly
people left is rising. For the elderly people who are living in
temporary shelters on their own, their quality of life isdeteriorating with diminished communication, which is a big
problem.

In Fukushima prefecture, the region’s community structure
has been destroyed because towns that had to evacuate
often evacuated their local employment office to a different
area than where the locals themselves evacuated to. Whilethe employment offices have made great efforts to set up
offices closer to the locals’ evacuation areas, the situation
remains very difficult, as the community structure is broken,
and it is challenging to communicate en masse with all of thelocals.
An issue is the pile up of local agriculture. I hear that parents
with young kids are scared of food from Fukushima
prefecture. Even foods they used to eat are suddenly
highlighted in news reports. When people stop eating foodfrom Fukushima because they are scared, the prefecture’s
agriculture industry flounders, bringing down the economy,
and there are people who have taken their own lives because
they have gone bankrupt this way.
A big issue is not only that there is a dearth of nurses, butalso that there aren’t any hospitals that are fully equipped.
Because there is no comprehensive hospital in the area, when
there is a patient in need of urgent care, he must go to adifferent region close to an hour away.
Decisions on policies are moving very slowly, and decisionmakers are prioritizing solutions that look only at theimmediate future. It has been a year an a half, and we are at apoint where we are in need of a long-term vision for the
future of the city. Instead, we have yet to see any decisivenessin the city, and the residents are feeling more and moreanxious about it.
There hasn’t been a mutual understanding between thegovernment and the affected region. For example, whilebuilding tide embankments in the coastal regions is being
strongly opposed by the locals, the government deemed that
construction must begin immediately because of budget
constraints, and the two sides have not been able to come toa reconciliation.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 18

Step 2: Interview with experts

Proposal for
Shaping Tohoku’s
FutureIssues that surfaced by reflecting on your own experiences and thoseof the locals: What are the appropriate policies to effectively resolvethese issues?
When discussing approaches to Tohoku recovery, students received
input from one specialist from each field: entrepreneurship; tourism
and revitalization of the region; disaster prevention and safe city
planning.

Theme A
Tohoku recovery through entrepreneurship"There are people who say that the government
and its policymakers are moving too slowly. But
even if things on the policy end were to movefaster and money were distributed appropriately, if
people don’t have a reason to live, there is no
point. People become revitalized when they have areason to live. You, as high school students, havethe potential to create a miracle."

Haruo Miyagi
President, ETIC.
Born in 1972. He founded “ETIC. Student
Entrepreneur Conference” in 1993 while
attending Waseda University. As leader of theorganization, Miyagi created educational
programs for university students all over thecountry and also supported various start-ups
and venture companies. In 2000, he changed
the name of the organization to ETIC, expanded
its activities, and incorporated it as a nonprofit
with himself as director. With the goal of
producing the next generation of entrepreneurs
and leaders, Miyagi continues to provide career
design assistance and internship opportunities
to university students, as well as seek careereducation reform at schools and universities.

Theme C
Tohoku recovery through tourism"In a place where everything was lost, wehave no other option but to take thisopportunity to create something new.
There is no such thing as failures fromthings that we shouldn’t have tried. But
there are many failures from things thatwere good ideas."

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 19

on Tohoku revitalization
Students came up in advance with questions to challenge the specialists
and got at the heart of issues related to each field. The students asking
insightful questions, and the specialists answering them: it was a fierce
debate between the future leaders of Tohoku and the specialists.
Regarding the revitalization of Tohoku, students interviewed experts who
have been in the foreground of rebuilding.

Theme B
Disaster prevention and safety-based city planning that is of global caliber"What is necessary for safe city planning? There
are many people who say ‘You have to do this’ or‘You have to do that.’ The problem is indetermining who the decision-maker is, how weare creating a vision for the future, and how weconvince the locals of this new vision. Whateveryone is facing is this reality."

Satoru Nishikawa
Director General of Audit, Japan Water Agency
Originally from Kanagawa prefecture, Nishikawa graduated from thedepartment of engineering in Tokyo University and completed his Master’s
degree before entering the Japanese Land Agency. Working on projects
centering on land development, he also focused his skills on developing themetropolis of Nagoya before accepting a position as a guest researcher at
MIT. In 1989 he began work on developing disaster prevention enterprises
and disaster prevention in foreign countries, as a representative of theJapanese Land Agency. Between 1992 and 1995, he served as the head of
emergency aid operations for the U.N. Upon his return to Japan, he worked
on various projects that included long term planning for Japan’s water
resources and the reshuffling of the central government offices of Japan.
Following this he became the head of the center of disaster prevention for
Asia, and official councillor on disaster prevention for the cabinet during
the earthquake disaster of Niigata Prefecture in 2004, and the Indian Ocean
Earthquake and Tsunami. In 2005 he organized the UN disaster prevention
global conference and as a professor of engineering, he has also been an
active participant in the World Economic Forum.

Kazuhiko Tada
Representative, Tono Magokoro Net
Independent legal services professional. Bornin 1958. Graduated from the Faculty of Law,
Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo. Worked at
Tono City Hall before establishing a private
legal services office in 1988. Currently the
Executive Director of the Kashiwagidaira Lake
Resort facilities in Tono, Iwate and Chairmanof the board of directors of Tono Magokoro
Net, working on behalf of the survivors of the2011 earthquake and tsunami victims in
Tohoku, Japan.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 20

Step 3: Dialogue with leaders

Proposal for
Shaping Tohoku’s
FutureStep 3: Dialogue with leaders
Through dialogue with diverse leaders, the participating students
deepened their thinking on their career and how to contribute to thesociety. Discussing with diverse leaders broadened student’s
perspectives to become a future leader.

"I want to reassure the Tohoku region thatits future is in good hands because of young
people like you. The future of Tohoku
depends on you.“

John V. Roos
U.S. Ambassador to Japan"One thing I would like to implore upon youis that you will all be making criticaldecisions at different crossroads in yourcareer. At that point, be sure that you takea step back to get a good perspective andthink about what significance your decision
has in the world -- and choose the directionthat is more challenging and difficult. You
may fail, but there will always be otherchances. Keeping this in mind, pleasepursue a challenging, difficult career."

Motoatsu Sakurai
President, Japan Society"The flowing river never stops and yet thewater never stays the same. Foam floats upon
the pools, scattering, re-forming, neverlingering long. As was written in scriptures fromancient Japan, I urge you to all invent
something new based on your calling. To
summarize, there is first an obstacle. You
overcome the obstacle and reflect on it, andfrom that reflection arises your calling. I would
like to offer a toast to your futures, yourreflections, your callings, and your inventions."

Robert Feldman
Managing Director, Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co.,Ltd.
"Connections with other people -- the
network of people -- is what becomes
extremely helpful in life.
I wonder what I’ll find if I start looking into
these drawers? This is a very helpful way to
try to come up with ideas. As such, I hopethat you take full advantage of thisopportunity to create a new network ofpeople, a new circle of people around you."

Toru Takanarita
Representative, the Fund for the Future of Children affectedby the Great East Japan Earthquake
Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 21

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 22

Final Presentation

Closing Plenary/Presentation

The 75 participants created their manifestos for Tohoku’s future over thecourse of three days, during which they collaborated and challenged eachother’s opinions. The manifestos displayed an earnestness that could have
only stemmed from students who truly understand the region’s needs, and thepresentations were filled with hope for the future.
Tohoku’s recovery that targets students.
After listening to and reflecting on the presented manifestos, each memberof the audience placed a vote for the one that was most compelling for abright future for Tohoku.

Review from guest
Ruri Kawashima
Tokyo Representative, Japan Society“I felt that if BEYOND Tomorrow caught on
widely as a role model, it would change
Japan. If you don’t start walking, nothing will
happen, so I urge you to take the first step.
Finally, please don’t ever forget that you all
have many, many people cheering you on.”

The Contents of Presentations – the winning team
Theme

Our Cabinet

Issue Identification

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 23

Final Presentations

Rules for Presentation

Voting Criteria

1.
2.

1.

The needs of the region
Are Tohoku’s needs being addressed?
Is the policy what is truly needed in
the region?

2.

Originality as high school students
Is this a policy that can be realized
specifically because they are highschool students?

3.

Specifics and feasibility
Do they describe specifics? Is it afeasible plan?

4.

Mid- to long-term impact
How large is the impact on the
Tohoku recovery process in the midto long-term?

5.

Presentation
Was the presentation effective inconveying its message to the voters?

3.

Create a name for your political party
Decide the members and positions foryour cabinet if elected
Establish a catchphrase thatencompasses the ethos of your party’s
manifesto

Election format, whereby each audience
member entered one vote

Policy (1/2)

Policy (2/2)

A promise with the electorate

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 24

Speech by Student Representatives

Closing Plenary/Presentation“If March 11th had not come, I wonder if I would be living
today with dreams at all.”extraordinary speed, and now I stand here about to embark
on a journey to a high school in Michigan to study abroad
starting June.

Ayaka Ogawa
Leelanau School, U.S.
(High School Study Abroad Program)
My name is Ayaka Ogawa. I am from
Kamaishi City in Iwate prefecture.

It is truly thanks to Ambassador Roos, BEYOND Tomorrow,and all of my other supporters that I have been blessed withso many opportunities.

In the earthquake disaster, I lost my entire
family. Not only did I lose my parents,
sister, and grandparents, I also lost thehouse that I lived in for 17 years. I lost somuch that I could not lose anything more.
On March 11th, immediately after theearthquake, I evacuated uphill with mymother and grandmother. However, the tsunami was right behind us
like a huge black wall, and my mother shouted, "Tsunami!" That was
the last time I heard her speak.
I ran up hills and a mountain and stayed alive. However, my motherand grandmother were nowhere to be found. The next morning, I
walked on the debris calling my mother and grandmother's names.
When I saw an elderly woman speared in a tree, I couldn’t stop
shaking. That horrifying scene still haunts me to this day.

“I lost so much that I could not lose anything more.”
After a few days, I learned that my sister had been killed and that myfather was missing. When I was brought to my sister at the morgue, I
put my hands on her cheeks and said over and over - Thank you. My
tears soaked her cold face. I kept thinking that she may just wake up. I
did not want to let her go, but in the end my sister was cremated andturned into ash.
I then spent many days looking for the rest of my family by turning
through the pages of a binder with dead people's photos. Each page
devastated me. The dead body of a small girl. A mangled corpse witharms and legs bent in every which way. I looked at many, many
corpses.
What if the next page was a picture of my father? Or my mother?
On one hand, I hoped to find my family as soon as possible. On theother hand, however, I was not ready to accept the reality of thesituation. I was terrified of turning the pages.
Later on, my father and grandmother were located, but my motherand grandfather are still missing.
So many things were destroyed, vanished in just one brief moment –why was my life, of all things, spared? I felt like my heart and soulwere gone. After the disaster I wandered about aimlessly, having
empty thoughts about working somewhere doing something after
graduating high school. But since that time, I met many people who
helped broaden my perspectives, and I learned the beauty of people
being connected with each other. From these encounters my dream ofstudying abroad in the United States sprouted and was realized inOpportunity does not come to everyone. It could have been
me who died on that fateful day in March. But I am here
today, living. I have been allowed to live.
Although I have lost so much, I am no longer afraid to gain
anything. There are things that I am able to do now
precisely because I have experienced so much. Knowing thepain that I have gone through, I feel like I can now face
anything. In a situation when so many who wanted to live
were not able to, I survived. I am living.
People must live by helping each other, supporting eachother, and thinking of each other. I have come to strongly
believe this. Just as many people have given me
opportunities to thrive, I want to be someone who gives
others such opportunities.
The past is the past. There is no way to turn back time. But I
am able to change my future. That may sound like an
obvious statement, but to me it carries a lot of weight.
Time is fair to everyone. So I must take full advantage of it.
My dream is to become a fashion designer who can give backto society. And as simple as it may sound, the best way forme to give back to my parents is to “be happy.”
I imagine that many people look at me and pity me. That is
unfortunate and frustrating. And I am sure that thisfrustration has been a source of motivation for me as well.
Of course I wish that the disaster had not happened at all,but I am who I am now because of the pain that I
experienced. Since the disaster I have met so many people,
and my life has changed so drastically that a part of me
believes that my pre-disaster life existed so that I can live
my post-disaster life. If March 11th had not come, I wonder
if I would be living today with dreams at all.
My sister was someone who would not hesitate to takeactions for people in underprivileged situations. My father
taught me to communicate with others with kindness. My
mother gave me the strength to live with. Not a single day
passes since March 11th that I do not think of my family.
With all these precious things my family left me with, I want
to cherish every opportunity, believe in myself, and mostimportantly, follow my own inspirations, in my own way.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 25

On March 11, 2011, the Greate East Japan Earthquake
descended upon the northeastern coast of Japan. My hometownof Minamisanriku in Miyagi prefecture was also devastated.
Fortunately that day I was at school, and thanks to that I was
not hurt. Furthermore, I was not too concerned about my family
because I had grown up hearing that tsunamis could not reachmy house.
A week later, however, I heard two things from my mother whocame to pick me up. The first was that my house was swept
away. The second was that my father had not yet returned
home. We were convinced that my father had taken refuge in a
shelter and searched different evacuation sites. But he wasnowhere to be found. Finally we went to the morgue to look for
him, though we kept praying that his name would not be listed
there. We did not find his name anywhere, and I remember
feeling quite relieved.
But days went by without any sign of my father. Then on April
11th, exactly a month after the earthquake, my mother found
him at the morgue. I was stunned in disbelief. The following day
I had to go to the morgue to see for myself: my father was
indeed there, in a completely disfigured state. When I saw him
like that, anger and despair came over me.
Sayaka Sugawara
Leysin American School, Switzerland(High School Study Abroad Program)

Keisuke Kisara
Toryo High School(Miyagi)“the Self-Defence Forces were going
through the wreckage on land, and the
Coast Guard was relentlessly searching
the sea. ”
After that I was not able to do anything; I was so stricken by despair.
But while people were paralyzed in grief, the Self-Defence Forceswere going through the wreckage on land, and the Coast Guard wasrelentlessly searching the sea. When I realized what they were doing, I
knew I wanted to be like them -- I wanted to join the Coast Guard.
School started again, and I became student body president. People
from Japan and abroad offered so much support to our school; I
realized that we are not alone. I am able to move forward now thanks
to the generosity of all those people.
There were many people who died or went missing in the Tohoku
earthquake and tsunami. The today that we are living now is also thetoday that all those who died would have wanted to live as well. We as
survivors have a mission to live today and every day that follows to its
fullest, not just for ourselves but also for the dead.
I am here living today to my fullest in order to fulfill that mission.

My name is Sayaka Sugawara, and I am from Ishinomaki city in Miyagi prefecture. Starting this past spring I havebeen studying abroad at Leysin American School in Vaud, Switzerland, as a participant of the BEYOND Tomorrow
High School Overseas Study Program.
I spoke about my experiences in the earthquake disaster during the Tohoku Future Leaders Summit last year, sixmonths after the tragedy occurred. After hearing my story, many people came forward to support me. It is
thanks to them that I am now able to study abroad in Switzerland.
On March 11, 2011, the tsunami swallowed me and my mother right from our house. After being swept away for a while with the rubble,
I heard my mother calling my name from underneath the debris. When I cleared away the rubble, I found my mother, pierced by nails
and tree limbs, and a broken leg. Her right leg was stuck, and even though I tried my best to clear the debris, it was too heavy and too
big. I wanted to save my mother, but I knew that staying there I would be swept away again by the tsunami. Do I stay and save mymother? Or do I run to safety? – I chose my own life. It was a decision that makes me cry to this day. When I left my mother I told hermany times – Thank you, and I love you. It was the most difficult moment of my life to turn away from my mother who implored to me,“Don’t leave me.” There was so much more I wanted to tell her. But I had to leave; I swam to the lower school and spent the night
there.
There were many, many more difficult experiences after that moment.

“There have been countless days I havespent crying, thinking about my family.”

There have been days that have been so difficult, I didn't think I would
survive. There have been many days when I wondered why life is sochallenging, and there have been countless days I have spent crying,
thinking about my family. I have lost so much from this earthquake andtsunami.

But there are things that I have gained because of this experience.
Since encountering BEYOND Tomorrow I have gained friends and opportunities.
With these new friends I am able to speak openly about anything: things I haven’t been able to talk about in school, experiences fromthe tsunami, my anxieties, and just trivial matters as well.
These friends through BEYOND Tomorrow are like family to me -- they are my siblings. I love them dearly, and even when I am studying
abroad, we are constantly in touch, and I miss them very much.
BEYOND Tomorrow has also given me extraordinary opportunities. I could have never imagined I would have all the experiences I have
had since last September. Thanks to BEYOND Tomorrow, I attended the Summer Davos Junior Leaders Program, the US Program, and now
my study abroad program -- these have been eye-opening experiences for me that have also supported me through the difficult times.
These opportunities have allowed me to grow stronger and have given me motivation to pursue my dreams.
Last year, I made a speech stating that I hope to forge forward, looking forward
to the day that I can truly believe that I am who I am thanks to all the pain I“Looking back on this past year, I do thinkhave experienced. Looking back on this past year, I do think that I am firmlythat I am firmly making steps forward.”
making steps forward.
Now, as a participant of the second Tohoku Future Leaders Summit, I made newfriends, reunited with old friends, and renewed my conviction to continue
working towards my dreams.
Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 26

Rin Yamane
Miyako Shogyo High School(Iwate)
I live in a coastal town called Miyako in Iwate prefecture. This is where I
grew up: in a town that is so close to the ocean that I could see the waterfrom my school and my home.
On March 11th when the earthquake occurred, I was at my school practicing
softball, leading my team as captain for an upcoming competition. Rightafter the earthquake my mother came to take me home, but on the way wewere swept into the tsunami. We were engulfed in black water -- I
miraculously survived, but my mother passed away.
I was not able to accept reality for some time, as I continued to live withregret that I could not rescue my mother. But now, with the help of family
and friends who have survived, I am back on my feet and moving forward.

“I continued to live with regret that I could not rescue my mother.”I imagine that there must be many people who still live with great grief. But
I believe that we must keep going forward because we are alive. The elderly
person living alone in temporary housing must try to step outside; thestudent must create dreams to pursue -- as survivors, each of us has adestiny. By moving forward to fulfill this destiny, we are giving back to all
those who have died, and furthermore, it gives us the will to live.

My destiny is to communicate to the world
my experiences and disaster prevention
measures in Japan.”My destiny is to communicate to the world my experiences and disasterprevention measures in Japan. As such, my dream is to some day work withan NGO or NPO in other disaster-stricken countries such as Indonesia or Haiti.
There, I want to share the knowledge and advances in disaster prevention
that Japan has gained since the Great East Japan Earthquake. I learned thatin Indonesia and Haiti reconstruction and recovery efforts are still flagging
because they do not have the financial means to move faster. I hope tocontribute to such developing countries by working to build their financial
strength so that they can work towards building a robust disaster prevention
program, all the while deepening the countries’ relations with Japan.
Right now, the most I can do to give back to my mother is to live my life to
the fullest and follow my dreams in full throttle.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 27

Participating
Supporters

The program spanned 3 days and was centered around dialogue. A key
component was having leaders as guests –leaders in a wide range offields– to engage the students in discussions on their future careergoals.
Policy Advisors(1 of 4)
Each student team had an advisor who is an expert in his or her field.
The advisor offered insights on the students’ discussions around theirpersonal experiences and ideas for Tohoku’s future, supporting them increating a concrete proposal.
Team1
Takashi Tachibana
President, SHIEN,co.,Ltd.; Representative Director,
Sweet Treat 311; Director, "Eat, and Energize theEast"; Founder, OH! GUTS!; Executive Director,
Cultural and Sports Support Organization for theGreat East Japan Earthquake Orphans

Team2
Daisuke Iwase
Co-Founder and Representative Director Lifenet
Insurance Company Japan
Born 1976 in Saitama Prefecture but spent hischildhood in England. After graduating from thefaculty of law at Tokyo University in 1998, Iwase
worked at the Boston Consulting Group and
Ripplewood Japan before entering Harvard Business
School. He graduated as a Baker Scholar (top 5% ofgraduating class). In 2006, he helped found LIFE NET
INSURANCE COMPANY and has been in his current
position since February 2009. He was selected as oneof the “Young Global Leaders of 2010” at the World
Economic Forum in Davos and also received Nikkei
Business’s “Change Maker of the Year 2010” award.

Born in Sendai in Miyagi prefecture. After graduatingfrom Tohoku University Tachibana worked at Itochu
Corporation and in 2000 he founded a foodstuffs
distributional affiliate company. In 2010, Tachibana
founded Shien, a company that manages therestaurant and gallery inside the Nara Yakushiji
Temple World Heritage Site. After the earthquake, hereturned to Miyagi and founded “Oh!Guts!,” acompany that promotes fishing for oneself and abetter fishing industry. Oh!Guts! garnered attention
both at home and abroad, even being selected by
Japanese Newsweek as one of the “100 small andmedium sized companies that will save Japan.”Tachibana is also involved in disaster area industrial
redevelopment, city planning, and educational
assistance.

Team3
Seigo Hara
McKinsey & Company
Team4
Etsuko May Okajima
President & CEO, ProNova Inc.
After working in an international consulting company,
Ms. Okajima founded a executive head hunting
company. She became its executive director in 2005.
She left the company in 2007 to found ProNova Inc, athink tank that focuses on recruiting “business
management professionals” and became its president
and CEO. Since that time she has successfully
recruited roughly 100 executives per year for start up
companies and companies restarting business. Her
expertise is in advising business team structures andadvising business training and skill development. As
such, Ms. Okajima is experienced in being a discussion
partner for business leaders.

Graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Tokyo
University and Stanford Business School. Hara worked
at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine
and helped organize the Health and Global Policy
Institute in 2007. He was also involved in the creationof projects for lifestyle-related illnesses and global
health. Hara is currently employed at McKinsey &Company. While utilizing his background as aphysician, Hara would like to contribute to drafting
policies, business, NPO/NGO activities, and solving
widespread health problems.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 28

Participating
Supporters

Policy Advisors(2 of 4)
Each student team had an advisor who is an expert in his or her field.
The advisor offered insights on the students’ discussions around theirpersonal experiences and ideas for Tohoku’s future, supporting them increating a concrete proposal.

Team4
Chikara Funabashi
Founder & Chairman, Will Seed Co.,Ltd.
Advisor, Kawaijuku Educational Institution

Team5
Nami Matsuko
Head of Corporate Citizenship Department, Managing Director
Nomura Holdings
Ms. Matsuko graduated from Sophia University faculty of Law andjoined Nomura research Institute . She obtained her law degrees fromNew York University and Georgetown University, and she is licensed
to practice in New York state. Ms. Matsuko is interested in aiding
Japanese companies and their employees become globalized andcommunicate their strengths to the world. She is engaged inpromoting corporate social responsibility activities.

Born in Yokohama and raised in SouthAmerica. After graduating from Sophia
University, Funabashi worked at the ITOCHU
Corporation where He participated in the
Jakarta Subway Promotion Project. He
founded a cross-industry employment
network for which she organizes events andinformation sessions for each industry. The
network has grown to over 3,000 members
within three years. In 2000, he founded the
WiLL Seed Company Limited, which provides
overseas training opportunities and on-site
educational programs emphasizing hands-on
experience to students and company
employees.

Team6
Yutaka Arai
Senior managing director,
Great East Japan Earthquake Recovery
Initiatives Foundation

Team6
Tomoko Teruya
CEO, NGO Yuimar
As a student and member of the Asian Law Students Association
JAPAN, Teruya represented Japan at international conferencesin Washington DC, Bangkok, and Istanbul. She also began
traveling to Mongolia in order to personally work toward solving
the poverty and social problems she discussed at conferences.
After entering the graduate school of law at Sophia University,
she used the occasion of the bankruptcy of the “SunlightChildren” orphanage to take time off from school and found an
NGO. At her development consulting company, Teruya leads
the JICA Chinese Anti-Trust Law preparation support project. In
2011, she was selected as one of the “30 leaders that willchange the world” at the World Economic Forum.

After visiting Fukushima with President Son
of Softbank in March of last year, Yutaka
took it upon herself to start a foundation to
help in the recovery effort. He now spends
half of every month in Fukushima. While stilla student at Waseda University, he served aschairman of the executive committee of the
5th YOSAKOI SORAN Festival and also
undertook a walking tour of Japan. The
friends he met during that time continue toencourage Yutaka in her recovery focused
activities.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 29

Participating
Supporters

Policy Advisors(3 of 4)
Each student team had an advisor who is an expert in his or her field.
The advisor offered insights on the students’ discussions around theirpersonal experiences and ideas for Tohoku’s future, supporting them increating a concrete proposal.

Team7
Koji Kagoshima
Planner/Copywriter, Social Innovation &Solutions Division, Dentsu Inc.

Team8
Kumi Fujisawa
Vice President, SophiaBank; Vice
President, Japan Social Entrepreneur
Forum
Ms. Fujisawa worked as a presenter for three
years on the NHK “21 century School ofbusiness” program, and during that timecollected data on small- and middle-sizedcompanies and start up companies
throughout Japan. She subsequently
continued her research through television,
radio and magazines, ultimately researchingover 800 companies. Ms. Fujisawa currently
performs interviews with administrators ofbusinesses around the country and airs themthrough different media. She is currently
involved in “Socio-incubation” to develop
new socially-minded companies that
attempts to bring together mass media andinternet media. Ms. Fujisawa is also a
BEYOND Tomorrow founder.

While working in advertisement, Mr.
Kagoshima became involved in Social Design
Engine and became its creator for social
projects. Outside of the office he is involvedin various projects through the2025PROJECT, which collaborates with NGOs
within the communication field. He works as
a part-time lecturer at the University of
Kyusyu ,Sophia University graduate school
and co-authored “Luck of peace” (Aoi
Miyazaki, Masaru Miyazaki) “Love letter toliving creatures” (Christel Takigawa) “Jobfor changing world44” (Sweet Smile).

Team8
Hanako Fujita
Faculty of Medicine, Gunma University
Graduated from Toyo Eiwa High School,studied at United World College of South
East Asia in Singapore from 2001 to 2003.
Graduated from the College of Arts andSciences at the International Christian
University in 2007. Worked at Goldman
Sachs Securities from 2007 to 2010.
However, she decided to leave Goldman
Sachs after resolving to spread her educationand experiences abroad to society at large.
Since April of 2010 she has been enrolled in
the faculty of medicine at Gunma University.
After getting her license as a physician,Hanako hopes to contribute to international
cooperation and expand health services indeveloping countries.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 30

Participating
Supporters

Policy Advisors(4 of 4)
Each student team had an advisor who is an expert in his or her field.
The advisor offered insights on the students’ discussions around theirpersonal experiences and ideas for Tohoku’s future, supporting them increating a concrete proposal.

Team9
Mayo Hotta
CSE's Office, Recovery Initiatives Group, SOFTBANK CORP.
Graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2004 andbegan working at Softbank, where she was involved in project planning,
investment, company founding, sales, liquidation, and new affairs. Softbank
acquired Japan Telecom and the Hawks professional baseball team in the year
Hotta started working, and she was involved as a business affairs director
when the company bought Vodafone in 2006. She is currently managing a
study-abroad program for Tohoku disaster relief. Hotta is also working with
the American Embassy for the development of future global human capital.

Team10Hideki Matsunaga
Chief Representative, Egypt & Yemen JICA Ofice
Joined the former Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (now JICA) in 1991.
After working at the headquarters, American, and Sri Lankan offices,
Matsunaga began a two year stint at the Iraq office of the United Nations
Development Programe where he was second in command overseeing the Iraq
postwar recovery and Palestinian peace efforts. After the Great East Japan
Earthquake, Matsunaka founded the NPO Japan Platform. As a team leader in
Iwate and Fukushima prefectures, he laid the foundations for relief in thedisaster areas. Since April 2004, he has been working in Cairo, Egypt.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 31

Media Appearance

News Papers(Japanese only)

Tokaishimpo (August 31, 2012)

Kahokushimpo(August 31, 2012)

Sanrikushimpo(September 7, 2012)

Iwatenippo(September 8, 2012)

Fukushimamimpo(September 8, 2012)

Tokaishimpo(September 12, 2012)

Iwatenippo(October 16, 2012)

Yomiurishimbun(October 27, 2012)

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 32

Choir Lyrics

ハジマリノウタ～遠い空澄んで～遠くに見えた街並み いつの日にか誓った景色と同じ
怯えて立てなくなっても 涙に滲む明日を教えてくれる
君からもらった言葉 僕の生きる意味を照らしてくれた「もう少し強くなれたら…」なんて思ってみても仕方ないよ「夢の途中」そう気付いたら なんだかちょっと楽になって答えなど無くていいんだよ 僕の頬は少し朱に染まる
遠く見えた空は澄んでいて 泡沫の日々に迷わんとした
揺るぎないこの胸の真ん中の想いを託して 想いを信じて僕はただ明日を見て歩こう たとえそこに願い届かずとも変わらないあの日の言葉だけを この手に抱えて この手に抱えて
君とね 出逢ったことが見えなくなった場所を示してくれた
そうして解り合えたよ 僕も君も同じ弱さを持ってる
どうしてなんだ?みんな抱えてる怖さや不安を隠したりして「強くない」ってそう言い切ったら 暗く濁った闇に灯り灯る
伝えたいことが溢れてきて あの空の向こうへ流れてゆく
ぎこちない言葉でしかないけど 今伝えたくて 今届けたくて連綿とゆく時間の中で 僕は確かにここで呼吸(いき)をする
柔らかい陽の光を浴びれば また目を覚まして また歩き出せる
僕が生きた「証」を残そう それをいつの日か「夢」と名付けよう
つつましくも意味の在る「証」を 意味在る「夢」だと 確かな「夢」だと僕は「今」を信じて歩こう たとえそこに祈り叶わずとも
生まれゆく全ての言葉たちを この手に抱えて この手に抱えてReport on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 33

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 34

Supporters

This program was funded by Japan Society. BEYOND Tomorrow is also supported
by a number of organizations and individuals. We count on everyone’s
cooperation to serve our mission.

BEYOND Tomorrow Strategic Partner

BEYOND Tomorrow Scholarship Partner

Contributions of JPY 10 million or above

Educational institutions provided scholarships for
BEYOND Tomorrow students

Japan Society
MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES,LTD.
ROHTO PHARMACEUTICAL CO. LTD.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
U.S.-Japan Council

Leelanau School(Michigan, U.S.)
Leysin American School (Vaud,Switzerland)
St. George’s School (Vaud,Switzerland)
St. Michael’s College (Worcestershire, UK)
St. Timothy’s School (Maryland, U.S.)

BEYOND Tomorrow Project Partner

BEYOND Tomorrow Scholarship Patrons

Contributions of JPY 1 million or above

Individuals who provided scholarships for BEYOND
Tomorrow students

ALBION Co., Ltd.
Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction
Initiatives Foundation
Japanese Disaster Relief Fund – Boston
Sumitomo Chemical Co.,Ltd.

BEYOND Tomorrow Pro Bono Partner
Support in the form of in-kind contribution

AGOS Japan Inc.
All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.
EDICM
Kinko’s Japan Co., Ltd.
Gulliver International Co., Ltd.
KPMG AZSA LLC

Masatada Kobayashi
Robert Alan Feldman
Ryusuke Honjo
Taro Otsuka

Other corporate sponsors

Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office(Tokyo)We have received support from countless others.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those who support our activities.
* Corporations and organizations listed above are supporters of 2012 fiscal year.
Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 35

About BEYOND
Tomorrow

Summary
The Global Fund for Educational Assistance was founded by leaders active in diverse
fields, such as politics, administration, business, NGO, and media. BEYOND Tomorrow is a
project established to nurture the young victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake andtsunami to become global leaders by offering comprehensive support and mentorship.
In order to develop future leaders from the affected regions, BEYOND Tomorrow has
hosted the Summer Davos Junior Leaders Program in September 2011, the Tohoku
Future Leaders Summit in October 2011, and the TOMODACHI Summer 2012 BEYOND
Tomorrow U.S. Program in August 2012. Additionally, BEYOND Tomorrow offers
opportunities for students at various ages. The “BEYOND Tomorrow Scholarship
Program,” which entails both scholarship and leadership development components,
targets students entering university, whereas the “High School Study Abroad Program”
is intended for high school students to gain an overseas boarding school experience.

Characteristics
The program is intended to help highly motivated students achieve their dreams and gaina global perspective by offering support of not only financial means but also of dialogue
and mentorship. We aim to nurture empathetic leaders who, by overcoming adversity, isable to actively contribute to society.

Contents
1.

Scholarship Programs
It is precisely because they have experienced the tragedy of the Tohoku Earthquake andTsunami that these young people can contribute to the world, to Japan, and to therecovery of Tohoku. We strongly believe that these students have the innate qualities of
future leaders, and as such, we are providing scholarship support towards theireducation.
- BEYOND Tomorrow College Scholarship Program- BEYOND Tomorrow High School Study Abroad Program2.

Leadership Programs
For students who aspire to be leaders from Tohoku, we offer leadership programs for themto develop in character and maturity, and to broaden their perspectives. The programs
reach beyond borders and take place globally, in Japan, and in the affected regions. We
aim to have the students grow into globally-minded and empathetic leaders who will be
the catalysts of social improvement.

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 36

FoundersAdvisorHeizo Takenaka

Director, Global Security Research Institute; Professor, Faculty of Policy
Management, Keio University【Members of the Board】 (*denotes co-chairpersons)Board

Keiichiro Asao

Member, House of Representatives

Kumi Fujisawa*

Vice President, SophiaBank; Vice President, Japan Social Entrepreneur
Forum

Chikara Funabashi*Will Seed Co.,Ltd. Founder & Chairman, Kawaijuku Educational Institution,
Advisor

Kazutomo Robert Hori

President and Group CEO, CYBIRD Holdings Co., Ltd.

Masatada Kobayashi

Co-Founder, Senior Executive Officer and Director, Rakuten, Inc.
President of Rakuten USA

James Kondo*

Country Manager, Twitter Japan; Visiting Professor, Hitotsubashi University

Hideki Makihara

Former member of the House of Representatives; Attorney at Law
admitted to Japan and the State of New York; Research of the National
Graduate Institute for Policy Studies

Kouta Matsuda

Member, House of Councillors

Nami Matsuko

Head of Corporate Citizenship Department, Managing Director Nomura
Holdings

Misa Matsuzaki

CEO, ASIMODE Co., Ltd

Etsuko May Okajima

President & CEO, ProNova Inc.

Teruhide Sato

President, Group CEO, netprice.com, Ltd.

Kohey Takashima*

CEO and Founder, Oisix, Inc.; TABLE FOR TWO International Board Member
and Co-FounderMinami Tsubouchi

Executive Director, Global Fund for Education Assistance【Auditor】
Shigeyoshi Ezaki

Lawyer, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune【Councillors】

Founding
Members
The following persons
act as Founding
Members of BEYOND
Tomorrow, working
with the Board
members inchampioning its
activities.

Mitsuru Claire Chino

Attorney at Law (California)

Kanae Doi

Attorney at Law; Japan Director of Human Rights Watch

Haruo Miyagi

President, ETIC.

Nobuo Domae

Executive Vice President, FAST RETAILING CO., LTD.

Motohisa Furukawa

Member, House of Representatives

Daisuke Iwase

Co-Founder and Representative Director, Lifenet Insurance Company Japan

Kohei Nishiyama

Founder and Chairman, elephant design co., ltd.

Taku Otsuka

Former Member, the House of Representatives; Affiliated Fellow, National
Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)

William Hiroyuki Saito

Founder & CEO, InTecur, K.K.

Naoko Yamazaki

Astronaut

Report on BEYOND Tomorrow Tohoku Future Leaders Summit 2012- I 37

Filmproduction: Kobe Design University infoGuild
Design: Ayako Nakagawa

Global Fund for Education Assistance
http://www.beyond-tomorrow.org/
C/O ETIC. APPLE OHMI Bldg. 5F 1-5-7,Jinnan, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0041 Japan
info@beyond-tomorrow.org©Global Fund for Education AssistanceN12/26V