Koriyama City and Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation (MCDRF) have reached a partnership agreement for working together to help speed up recovery efforts in Northeastern Japan following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011. The partnership gets underway through the kick-off of a new initiative dubbed the “Sixth-Industry Fruit Farming Project.”

 

A number of sectors, notably agriculture and tourism, took a severe beating from the disaster, but authorities in Koriyama City have been undertaking a number of efforts to help industry recover. These efforts have included initiatives aimed at promoting the sale of agricultural products and restoring damaged facilities or engaging in partnerships with educational institutions to support industry players. For its part, since it was set up in April 2012, MCDRF has granted a number of scholarships for students in the region and provided investment and loan schemes to local private enterprises with the aim of boosting the recovery of industry and generating employment. It is based on their shared commitment that Koriyama City and MCDRF have decided to pool their energies in an effort to give an extra boost to local revitalization, particularly for agriculture, tourism and industry.

 

More specifically, the “Sixth Industry Fruit Farming Project” offers a new model for support to Fukushima-grown fruits, one that not only seeks to boost the production, processing and marketing of freshly consumed fruits such as peaches, pears and apples, but one that also seeks to add value to local agro-industry by training farmers in grape-growing and the production and marketing of wines and liqueurs. MCDRF’s contribution will center on relieving local farmers of burdens associated with start-up costs such as the construction of processing facilities and a brewery as well as initial business risk. The project will also draw on Mitsubishi Corporation’s business expertise in an effort to achieve positive sales results. Pooling the resources of the local farming community with those of Koriyama City and MCDRF, the project has set a target to open the brewery in the autumn of 2015.

                                               

Through the Sixth Industry Fruit Farming Project, Koriyama City and MCDRF aim to contribute to local employment generation and economic revitalization in Tohoku starting, in this instance, with Fukushima. Nearly four years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, but recovery in areas that suffered severe damage is still far from complete. MCDRF remains committed to supporting initiatives geared towards revitalization in the region.

 

The Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation (hereafter "the Foundation") was established in March 2012, one year after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Mitsubishi Corporation set up the "Mitsubishi Corporation East Japan Earthquake Recovery Fund" (hereafter "the Recovery Fund") in April 2011 with the purpose of making concerted efforts for supporting restoration and recovery for the afflicted regions. The Recovery Fund was set up in the spirit of The Three Corporate Principles of "Corporate Responsibility to Society," "Integrity and Fairness" and "Global Understanding Through Business," which have been the corporate philosophy of the Company since it started operations. While also carrying on the activities of the Recovery Fund, the Foundation aims to contribute to industry recovery and job creation in order to help achieve a stronger recovery for the afflicted regions.

 

1) Headquarters:2-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

2) Founded: March, 2012

3) 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.

4) Representatives:             

Chairman, Ken Kobayashi (President and CEO, Mitsubishi Corporation)

Deputy Chairman, Yasuhito Hirota (Executive Vice President, Mitsubishi Corporation)

Executive Director, Yoshiyuki Nojima (General Manager, CSR and Environmental Affairs Department, Mitsubishi Corporation)