Progress in rebuilding too little

 March 9, 2014

Survey shows 60% see little progress in rebuilding

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140309_12.html

More than 60 percent of the people responding to a survey see little progress in efforts to reconstruct areas hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute conducted the nationwide survey from November to December of last year. It covered 3,600 people aged 16 or older. Sixty-eight percent responded.

55 percent of the respondents said reconstruction efforts are showing little progress, and 9 percent said they see no progress at all.

The survey also asked how respondents feel about efforts to decontaminate areas affected by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

13 percent said they recognize progress, while 85 percent saw little progress.

The survey also asked about the largest task for the Japanese government in the reconstruction process.
45 percent of the respondents cited handling the effects of the nuclear accident.

Associate Professor Reo Kimura of the University of Hyogo says many people affected by the disaster still cannot imagine what the areas and towns will look like after rebuilding. He says that, therefore, people are unable to sense that recovery is making progress.

Meanwhile, another survey shows that the number of corporate bankruptcies believed to result from the disaster was nearly 1,500.

Credit research firm Teikoku Databank says there were 1,485 such bankruptcies since the disaster through last month.

It says the failed companies had a total of more than 21,000 employees.

Mar. 9, 2014 - Updated 03:45 UTC