Rebuild Tohoku fisheries to be better than before
Ports and facilities of Pacific Ocean fisheries in the Tohoku and Kanto regions were severely hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The industry should not simply be restored to its former state. Instead, people and organizations concerned should take the opportunity to incorporate drastic reforms in their rebuilding efforts, creating a revitalization model for the nation's fisheries industry as a whole, which is on the decline due to a graying workforce with a lack of successors.
In areas hit by huge tsunami, about 320 fishing ports and 20,000 fishing boats were destroyed or seriously damaged. Fish markets, processing facilities and other infrastructure have been almost completely lost in many places. The damage is estimated at about 900 billion yen.
Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture and Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture hosted bonito and tuna fishing boats from all over the country. Reopening of such core ports for offshore and deep-sea commercial fishing is an urgent necessity.
The central and local governments must cooperate closely to accelerate repair work on wharfs and removal of underwater rubble and debris.
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Change in way of thinking
Reconstruction of coastal fishing is an important subject because many people work in this industry.
Coastal fishing includes oyster and scallop cultivation, as well as fixed-net fishing of mackerel and sardines, which are mostly small, family-run businesses.
These businesses were directly hit by the giant tsunami. The loss of boats, equipment and facilities has left many of them unable to operate, and many are even thinking of closing down for good.
If the coastal fishing industry is to recover, a new way of thinking is required.
To promote the entry of new individuals and companies into the coastal fishing industry, the current system that gives priority in operations to local fisheries cooperatives must be revised.
A "fishing industry reconstruction promotion special zone" initiative proposed by the Miyagi prefectural government at a meeting of the government's Reconstruction Design Council is an idea worth considering.
The Fishery Law and other relevant laws have to be revised, and special zones should be created in quake-hit areas. In the special zones, private companies that catch, process and sell fish and other marine products will be given easy access to fishing rights.
The system is designed to reconstruct coastal fisheries by introducing the vitality of those formerly outside the fishing industry and also aims to expand employment opportunities for young people.
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Revise closed nature
Opposition has been voiced against the initiative in some local fisheries cooperatives. Fearing that their rights may be infringed upon, they argue that the good points of fishing villages as communities will be lost.
However, the closed nature of such communities must change. Otherwise, the decline of coastal fisheries cannot be stopped.
They should not adhere to their vested rights but must change their way of thinking to promote the fisheries businesses in their local communities.
We hope administrators in the central and local governments and fishermen thoroughly discuss the matter and seek the best solution with an eye toward the future. What is urgently required now is the wisdom to protect Japan's fish-eating culture and give an impetus to the recovery of the fisheries industry.
In a tough job market, seek fulfilling work
An official estimate of the employment rate for new college graduates as of April 1, the first day of fiscal 2011, has been unveiled.
The figure is 91.1 percent, matching the record low posted in 2000, the so-called employment ice age for graduating students.
As data concerning part of the Tohoku region, affected by the March 11 massive quake and tsunami, was not included in the total, the actual employment rate is surely even lower.
As many as 33,000 college students graduated this spring without any job offers, it is estimated.
Even before the massive quake occurred, the government had been asking employers to treat those who graduated from college in the last three years on a par with new graduates. We hope companies will give sufficient job opportunities to those who have already graduated.
The major reason the rate has fallen so low is that the protracted economic slowdown has kept companies reluctant to hire new workers.
Job market imbalances have also been blamed, as students with a strong desire to work for big companies have shied away from jobs offered by small and medium-sized firms.
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Disaster clouds job prospects
In the days ahead, the effects of the recent disaster will become more visible in the job market.
Most big-name firms said they would not reduce the number of new hires from among next spring's graduates just because of the recent disaster. But job-hunting will likely get harder for those to graduate in 2012.
Leading companies have postponed recruiting activities for next spring's graduates, which would normally start in April, for two to three months, so they may focus their energy on post-quake restoration efforts. This has made it even more difficult for graduating students to get unofficial job offers from companies.
The situation is particularly severe for students in disaster-affected regions.
In the three prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, as many as 106,000 people have applied for unemployment benefits following the quake and tsunami. The job market in the region as a whole has deteriorated, and it has become ever more difficult to find jobs at local companies.
Many university students also find it hard to devote themselves to job hunting as their homes and families have been hit hard by the disaster.
The central government and some local governments are offering students free accommodations to help them in their search for work. Such assistance should be expanded and continued for as long as needed.
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Is there a silver lining?
What effect will the latest disaster have on the Japanese economy in the days ahead? Students must be feeling uncertain.
But let us think positively.
Many young people may have seen people of various walks of life fulfilling their respective duties enthusiastically, especially in search and rescue operations and restoration efforts, thus becoming aware of the harshness as well as the value of working.
There will also be an increase in the number of students who, through their own volunteer activities for disaster victims, will reflect on their potential and adopt a new view toward jobs.
Although it is a tough time, the most important thing is for young people to find jobs they feel are rewarding.
We also hope that businesses will find and hire those highly motivated young people by taking such flexible steps as treating next spring's graduates and earlier graduates equally and recruiting them throughout the year.
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