After the Great East Japan Earthquake, various types of public-private partnerships (PPP) financed by the leading companies or cooperated with by several private companies have been formed and are promoting their own projects to provide assistance to disaster affected areas, or improve protection against disasters.

Such community-building in the disaster-stricken region through cooperation among diverse entities is an effective approach that can be used by other regions all over the country to solve regional problems or strive for economic independence. It will be, therefore, very important to develop and support such leading organizations in the future.

## Case example Community-building by cooperation among diverse entities

### 1. Make use of “Community developing company” in Ishinomaki City

The central city of Ishinomaki has faced population outflow and become languid because of decreasing transient population influenced by the shut-down of the Ishinomori Mangakan, a cartoon museum, and the catastrophic damage of shops and other businesses, noticeable decline in convenience of life associated with the demolition of many stores, or the loss of employment opportunities.

Given this situation, Machizukuri Man-bow Co., Ltd., a community developing company established in 2001 with a capital of 60 million yen, has been designated as an operator of the recovery promoting project based on the

“Act on Special Zones for the Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.” The company will invite new investment and operate the recovery promoting project (scale of operation: 89 million yen).

The company will; (1) prepare community space and

* The “Mangattan Liner,” train cars decorated with cartoons which are created by Shotaro Ishimori, a cartoonist. Although this train is now out of the operation, Machizukuri Man-bow Co., Ltd., is going to provide extra service with the train after the restoration of the Senseki line.

Source: MLIT

resting space for hospital users in response to the expansion of the transient population and the aging society,

(2) expand the transient population, cartoon and animation contents will be opened to the public with and without the city based in the Ishinomori Mangakan, (3) hold a Machinaka Fukkou (recovery of the downtown) March to sell local specialties that are produced in Ishinomaki, prepare gathering spaces through the use of vacant stores or unused land left by urban development, and (4) promote the historical-looking characteristics of community-building through the use of existing old warehouses and historical buildings.

To address the future population decline and aging of society, it is expected that not only creating of the life space and commercial function without vehicles but also developing a compact city having multi-functions, such as “Living,” “Working,” “Learning,” or “Enjoying” will be made.

### 2. Signal of Hope Project

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in cooperation with the Reconstruction Agency and the Fishery Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan has been supporting fishing industries and fishing harbors along the coastal area of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures in the Tohoku region, which suffered enormous damage, in an effort to revive early on.

The Signal of Hope Project carried out by the private sector will provide necessary equipment for reopening of fish markets including refrigerated containers and vehicles for logistics to the main ports of those three prefectures until full-scale recovery is completed. The MLIT is assisting this project.

The equipment provided by the project

Photo: The 'Signal of Hope' Found to Support the Resumption of Tohoku Fisheries