14 Years On: Prefectural Govts Passing on Lessons to New Hires

   Sendai, Miyagi Pref., March 6 (Jiji Press)--The governments of the three northeastern Japan prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, which were hit hardest by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, face the challenge of passing on the lessons of the disaster to younger workers.
   As of Jan. 1, the proportion of prefectural government officials at departments under the control of their respective governors who were hired after the disaster 14 years ago stood at 43.9 pct in Iwate and 45.7 pct in Miyagi, while the figure was 48.6 pct as of April 1 last year in Fukushima.
   Meanwhile, many prefectural officials who were involved in frontline operations in the immediate aftermath of the massive quake and tsunami are retiring, driving generational shifts at their respective workplaces.
   Iwate and Miyagi have each compiled records and collections of proposals by prefectural government workers at the time of the disaster that serve as a disaster response guide for the current generation of officials.
   Since fiscal 2021, the Iwate prefectural government has posted each month some of its proposal records on a special website used by prefectural workers. An official at the prefectural department responsible for reconstruction promotion said the initiative is aimed at "steadily passing on the lessons," as the number of government officials who have not experienced disaster response measures is increasing.

(2025/03/06-11:00)

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