Mitsubishi Corporation

Press Room

December 10, 2013
Somanosato, Inc.
Abukuma Shinkin Bank
Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation

Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation Supports Elderly Care Establishment in Fukushima

Somanosato, Inc. today hosts a ceremony to mark the completion of its new home for senior citizens in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture. The new home, along with the additional services it will offer, was made possible through a 30 million yen contribution from the Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation, an addition to support already provided by Abukuma Shinkin Bank, a local credit union. The home is scheduled to start offering its services on January 6, 2014.
 
Located in the Haramachi district of Minamisoma, the new home occupies an area of 706.16 m², including 20 sitting rooms for services to the elderly along with a day care center set up on the same premises. The first establishment of its kind complete with additional services for the elderly to be set up in Minamisoma since the disasters of March 2011, the home is well situated for easy access to medical institutions and aims to provide a stable and comfortable environment for senior citizens. The new home will employ 12 staff, thereby also making a contribution to employment generation in the area.
In addition the contribution it will make to the generation of employment, the Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation’s support to Somanosato is also grounded in the importance of the project for improving the welfare and quality of life of senior citizens residing in Minamisoma.
 
Homes for the elderly and similar care facilities were completely destroyed by the disasters of March 2011. Since then, the number of senior citizens requiring care services due to a number of stress factors, including lengthy periods in evacuation shelters, has been increasing. At present, there is a major lack of facilities to provide the requisite care for elderly persons in Minamisoma. In the Haramachi district, for instance, for the over 300 elderly persons needing such facilities and services, only 200 hundred are planned. This evidently creates a serious social problem.
 
Somasato was forced to close its day center facility as a result of damage suffered during the Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami, but moved quickly to open temporary day service facilities in August 2008. Those services will be sustained through the establishment of this new home, an effort which has been made possible through the support provided by Abukuma Shinkin Bank in collaboration with the Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation. Somanosato also plans to complete a new small group home for people with dementia, also in Minamisoma, in April 2014, further advancing its efforts to contribute to the welfare of senior citizens in region.
 
A thousand days have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, but coastal areas that suffered immense damage from the ensuing tsunami are still recovering from the disaster. The Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation will continue to collaborate with local financial institutions such as Abukuma Shinkin Bank, to support efforts aimed at employment creation and economic recovery in areas affected by the disaster.
New Senior Citizens Home in Minamisoma
 
Reference Information
 
1.     Somanosato, Inc.
1).     Headquarters:       16 Aza-Senmyosaku, Namezu, Odaka-ku, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
2).     Date Established: August 8, 2008
3).     Capital:                 10 million yen
4).     Business Activities: Nursing care services for the elderly and the disabled
5).     Representative:     Yasuo Ouchi, President and CEO
 
2.     Abukuma Shinkin Bank
1).     Headquarters:     2-4 Haramachi-ku, Sakae-cho, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
2).     Date Established: September 1950
3).     Capital:                 10.7 billion yen
4).     Business Activities: Savings, loans and other financial services
5).     Representative:     Tsuneo Hanzawa, President
 
3.     The Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation
1).     Headquarters:     2-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
2).     Date Founded:     March, 2012 (became a foundation May 2012)
3).     Endowment:       6 billion yen
4).     Purpose:           
To contribute to the recovery of regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake through the provision of scholarships and grants for NPOs and social welfare corporations, as well as for recovery of industry and job creation.
5)      Representatives:
-       Chairman, Ken Kobayashi (President and CEO, Mitsubishi Corporation)
-       Deputy Chairman, Hideyuki Nabeshima (Senior Executive Vice President, Mitsubishi Corporation)
-       Executive Director, Yasuhito Hirota (Senior Vice President; General Manager, Corporate Administration Department, Mitsubishi Corporation)
 

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