Iwate moving toward reconstruction (Ver.3)

When the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami struck the Tohoku region on the Pacific coast side on March 11, 2011, 5,140 lives were lost in Iwate, primarily on the coast. Iwate prefecture has formulated the Reconstruction Plan for the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami to achieve a recovery as quickly as possible with an unprecedented system and scale from 2011-2018, a set effective period of 8 years.

They have steadily progressed towards a full reconstruction. Under the new Iwate Prefecture Citizen’s Plan (2019–2028), reconstruction efforts have been the top priority for the prefectural government. They focus on the incomplete infrastructures that they could not finish during the initial recovery period. They promote efforts to Build Back Better in the Sanriku area, by also taking into account its future, through supporting mental and emotional care of disaster survivors, providing assistance to form new communities, and revitalizing commercial activities in the forestry, marine, and agricultural sectors.