logo-mobile

ECONOMIC RECOVERY FOR NORTHEASTERN JAPAN

KESENNUMA TOURISM AND FOOD PROCESSING VENTURE
The context of this project is not just post-disaster economic revitalization, but a more general imperative to develop new and ultimately self-sustaining business opportunities taking advantage of the natural advantages of the Tohoku region.
JTI FOUNDATION ALLOCATION
CHF 415,000
TIMELINE
2012 - 2015
IMPLEMENTING PARTNER
PEACE WINDS JAPAN
PEACE NATURE LAB

This program was implemented in response to the Japan earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeastern Tohoku region on March 11, 2011.

Based at a picturesque location in Moune, near the town of Kesennuma, this initiative recognized the need not just to restore what was lost to the tsunami, but also to identify and develop self-sustaining business opportunities that provide for the longer-term regeneration of Tohoku.

Implemented by Peace Winds Japan, and its partner Peace Nature Lab, this program invested into the Tohoku region, already popular with tourists (some 2.6 million visits annually) – for example, to develop visitor centers that capitalize on the abundant agricultural and fishing resources of the area. In its initial phases, PWJ developed a café, a food-processing facility and kitchen, and finally a restaurant, on a bay near the town of Kesennuma.

The combined facilities will process and retail locally sourced agricultural and fish/seafood products. By combining these activities in a single location, maximum economic benefit is retained in the local community, and will provide employment opportunities.

SHARE THE ARTICLE