## Chapter 1: Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, (hereinafter called “the Disaster”) and shifts in the administration of land, infrastructure, transport, and tourism

## Section 1: Reconstruction from the Disaster

## 1 Current situations of the Tohoku Region

A little more than one year has passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, the unparalleled disaster, occurred and infrastructure and transport systems in the affected areas are now being restored, and at the same time reconstruction programs for new town building have started to move forward. The following is an overview of the current situations of the Tohoku region including the affected areas.

## (Decline in population)

In the three prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima that were severely damaged, in addition to the 18,870 people killed or missing, the net number of people moving out of these prefectures (population outflow minus population inflow) stands at 41,216 (approximately four times over the same period of the previous year) and the population decline including people killed in the Disaster totals approximately 61,000. Out of the above population outflow determined through address changes on the Basic Resident Register, more than 30,000 people moved out of Fukushima Prefecture but according to a survey conducted by the Prefecture, 62,736 people moved out of Fukushima, which indicates that many evacuees have not changed their addresses on the Register.

The net outflow of people from the three Prefectures right after the Disaster was substantial but in Iwate and Miyagi, the population inflow continued between July 2011 and February 2012. In Fukushima, the outflow is still continuing even though the margin has narrowed. In March 2012, the three Prefectures fell back into a net outflow.

Population decline in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures

Dead or missing (as of 12/4/4)	Disaster-related dead (provisional) (as of 12/3/31)	Net outflow of people (note) (11/3-12/2)
Iwate	5,908	193	3,179
Miyagi	11,143	636	5,469
Fukushima	1,819	761	32,568
Total	18,870	1,590	41,216

Note: Difference in number of outflowing people and inflowing people. As this is based on the “Report on demographic shift of the Basic Resident Register” (of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), evacuees who have not changed their addresses on the Register and foreign nationals are not included.

2) According to the three prefectures’ surveys (as of 12/4/5), people outflowing from the prefectures totaled 62,736 for Fukushima, 8,462 for Miyagi, and 1,575 for Iwate, respectively.

Source: Dead or missing (data of National Police Agency), disaster-related dead (data of Reconstruction Agency), outflowing people (Report on demographic shift of the Basic Resident Register" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)

Source: Developed by MLIT from the “Report on demographic shift of the Basic Resident Register” by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

As to where people who left the three Prefectures during the period from March through November 2011 have gone, a large number of those leaving Iwate and Miyagi have moved to the metropolitan area - Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures- (86.2% for Iwate, 91.0% for Miyagi) but in the case of Fukushima, people have moved out to various parts of the country and those who have come to the metropolitan area account for a relatively small percentage, 38.4%, of the total.