September 3rd (Sat) and 4th (Sun) at Yoyogi Park, Kokumin Kyosai coop <Zenrosai>, Future Design Shibuya, and Shibuya City Tourism Association are co-sponsored by Shibuya Ward. We held a disaster prevention and mitigation event “Moshimo Fes Shibuya 2022” where you can enjoy “. We interviewed Mr. Takahashi, Executive Director of Kokumin Kyosai coop <Zenrosai>, which is also a special regular member organization of Future Design Shibuya, about the thoughts and background behind their activities.
Activities continued after the Great East Japan Earthquake, pledging to be "the last person"
Osada of all, I would like to ask you about your personality, Mr. Takahashi.
After graduating from Takahashi University, I joined Zenrosai at that time, now Kokumin Kyosai coop, and this year is my 38th year. At that time, only members of labor unions were eligible to join Zenrosai, but it was around the time that citizens were able to join as well. When I first joined, I was in the publicity department, and I was engaged in the work of publicizing that the Zenrosai was open like this.
At the same time, I worked as an officer in the labor union of Zenrosai employees, and after that I was engaged in business promotion and management planning work, but the turning point for me was the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
At that time, I was the general manager of the headquarters and was in charge of disaster countermeasures. Our job is to go to the site, conduct surveys, and pay insurance and condolence money to all policyholders of fire mutual insurance and natural disaster mutual insurance. , it was all about the first time. He served as a commander to mobilize a large number of staff from all over the country and deal with it. On weekdays, I was in Tokyo doing all sorts of coordination and directing, and on weekends, I went to the disaster-stricken areas.
The policy we established at that time was "to the last person". To all of our subscribers who have been affected by the disaster, we want to make sure that no one is left behind. Before that, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, for example, was a so-called urban disaster. However, at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake, partly because the devastated area was so extensive, many people had to leave their hometowns, which had been devastated by the tsunami, relying on relatives. In addition, especially for those who lived within the 20 km radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plant and in the evacuation zone, we will thoroughly check all the people who have evacuated to various parts of Japan, down to the last person. I worked on the proposition that I would like to pay for it.
We mobilized staff from all over the country and sent 200 to 300 people to the site every day to conduct surveys.
Since I am the person in charge, together with the local person in charge, we first look at the site first, and then give instructions after deciding that this is the place where our staff can enter. However, the sights, smells, and atmosphere immediately after the disaster in the heavily damaged areas are still fresh in my mind. In the midst of all this, there were people who lost family members, loved ones, and homes.
Osada you able to contact the last person in the end?
The year after the Takahashi earthquake, I was stationed in Sendai for five years as the person in charge of the Hokkaido/Tohoku area. It was in 2017 that we were able to contact and pay the last person in the evacuation zone of the nuclear power plant.
Osada: Wow, it took six years.
TakahashiThat 's right. After that, I returned to Tokyo as Managing Director. One of the jobs I was in charge of was the relationship with the neighborhood association and everyone in the shopping district. It's called Minami-Shinjuku Shopping Street and has the name "Shinjuku", but it's in Shibuya Ward. That area will be the starting point for the connection with Shibuya Ward and Future Design Shibuya.
The Importance of Contributing to the Community and Being Popular with the Community
TakahashiUntil then, when it came to interacting with the local community, it seemed that only the person in charge would participate in such a meeting, and the executives would never show up. I just gave a sponsorship. However, I have noticed many things by consciously getting involved with the community, such as attending meetings myself, and participating in the summer festival as a party holding the festival while wearing a happi coat. When I was involved in regional reconstruction in Sendai, I felt that an organization that is not familiar with the region is useless.
From the positive relationship with the Osada-Shinjuku shopping street, this time it spreads to the relationship with Shibuya Ward.
Takahashi That's right. It was 2017, which coincided with the 60th anniversary of the founding of our association, and it was a time when Zenrosai itself was rebranding to make it more familiar. It was around this time that the company was nicknamed "Kokuminkyosai coop."
We are located in Shibuya Ward, but we had little relationship with the government of Shibuya Ward and Tokyo. Kokumin Kyosai coop is a co-op. In terms of taxation, a so-called reduced tax rate is applied.
Therefore, we believe that we have a responsibility to return some of the portion corresponding to this reduced tax rate to the region and contribute to it. Through this, we have been searching for initiatives that will contribute to the development of the region and the improvement of the lives of everyone in the region. As part of that, you decided to work with Future Design Shibuya.
Osada was April 2020.
TakahashiThat 's right. One of our medium-term management policies is "help and co-creation." Until then, there was a part of us that wanted to be useful for society on our own, but instead of doing that, we joined hands with other people who had the same aspirations, and everyone in the organization. Let's do it, let's co-create.
The organization called Future Design Shibuya was created with the stance of working together to bring about innovation, not just Osada alone. It was launched in 2018 with the aim of becoming a hub that connects everyone, so the timing was just right.
The basic concept of Takahashi Shibuya Ward is "Shibuya Ward, a city that transforms differences into power", but when we rebranded in 2019, the phrase was "To not change, change". . We will not change the founding philosophy and spirit, but we will change the things that need to be changed in line with the times and the environment. I think it's similar to Shibuya Ward's way of thinking in the sense that it will change and change in order to respect the important things that should be protected.
Response to “Moshimo FES” with Empathy and Smiles
Osada other day, "Moshimo FES Shibuya 2022" was held at Yoyogi Park.
TakahashiIn fact, 2021 is 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and 5 years since the Kumamoto Earthquake. Before that, 2020 was a milestone year, 25 years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Next year, it will be 100 years since the Great Kanto Earthquake. We would like to update the efforts related to disaster prevention and mitigation that we have continued for more than ten years, and we would like to send out various information from the place called Shibuya. We launched "Moshimo Project Shibuya" with Future Design Shibuya and Shibuya Ward Tourism Association.
Click here for the Moshimo FES 2022 report
Osada Moshimo FES, we received a lot of feedback from people who were moved by the fact that everyone was smiling and participating in an event like this. Until last year, it was difficult to hold an event due to the coronavirus, but from now on, I felt the significance of continuing together with various companies and organizations, including those in Shibuya Ward, and finally, little by little, what I want to do is taking shape. I thought it was coming.
How did you feel from Takahashi's point of view?
TakahashiWhat I felt frankly was how wonderful it was that so many people and organizations came together in response to such a call. It means that everyone had that kind of consciousness latently. I believe that if all of these things are brought together and become more mature, we will be able to create a society where everyone can help each other should something happen.
Under the name of “ENJOY Tasukeai,” we are sending out the message that we should enjoy helping each other more. Helping and helping each other can be awkward and embarrassing, but it would be nice if we could help each other more easily.
In the "World Giving Index*" released annually in the United Kingdom, Japan ranked 114th out of 114 countries in the survey item "Did you help a stranger or a stranger in need of help?" was the lowest. (*From Charities Aid Foundation “CAF World Giving Index 2021”)
Osada it that low? i didn't know It seems surprisingly high, but it's actually low.
Takahashi: As Mr. Osada said earlier, everyone was smiling as they participated.
The smiles of the staff at the booth, as well as the visitors, especially the children, were the best. It's not a "feeling of being forced to do it", it's "feeling like we're doing it ourselves", it's really nice to see everyone working so lively, and I think that's probably going to spread to everyone who came to the venue. .
I want to spread the culture of helping each other from Shibuya to the world
Osada kind of vision do you have for the activities that will be transmitted from Shibuya in the future?
I think that Takahashi Shibuya can be like a “sacred place for helping each other”.
For example, Manchester, England, where cooperatives originated, is said to be the sacred place in the world of “cooperatives” like ours. The Rochdale union was the world's first, in which each person contributed a small amount of money and helped each other when they were in trouble. This system has now spread all over the world.
It is a secret idea that Shibuya can be likened to Japan's "sacred place of mutual aid".
Osada 's good. Shibuya has the aspect of being the origin of culture, but it is new to say that it is a “sacred place of mutual help”.
TakahashiThat 's right. Various people gather in Shibuya, so I think I can send out information to various places from here. I think there are potentially many people who would like to participate in such initiatives. For example, on the morning of the day after Halloween when the city was very busy, there were many volunteers picking up trash, and that's part of the city's culture.
Osada would be great if everyone could experience that little by little and spread the spirit of kindness and mutual aid from Shibuya as a new culture.
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