Makoto Kurita
Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the 45th National Conference of Kyosarenin Tohoku and Iwate, Director of Kyosaren

1. Kyosaren National Conference

The 45th Kyosaren National Conference was held in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, on September 30 and October 1. The Kyosaren National Conference is a place where people can be together, interact, and learn from each other, Through confirming connections with each other in this way, we can cultivate energy for tomorrow with one united heart. On the day of the conference, 1,400 people attended, including 300 individuals with disabilities from all over Japan. Together with 400 local volunteers, we welcomed participants all the way from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south. All involved were extremely apprehensive concerning the coronavirus infection, so proper precautions were taken.

2. Making the Conference a Community -Affair ～ Efforts of the Community

This was the first time that the head of the local government served as the chairman of the executive committee for the 45th National Conference of Kyosaren. Under the leadership of the Mayor of Rikuzentakata City, Futoshi Toba, Rikuzentakata City officials, local associations of commerce and industry, tourism, inns and hotels, restaurants, social welfare councils, women's associations, children's committee members in the Kesen area organizing volunteers, organizations of individuals with disabilities in the prefecture all worked together to prepare the event. The cooperation and involvement of the community have made this conference not just for a small portion of people, but for the entire community, and the preparation and momentum have been established.

3. The Joy of “Getting Together” Once Again

The past three years have been a time of great change and burden. These include things such as wearing masks all day, constantly disinfecting things and temperature checks, eating without talking to anyone, as well as behavioral restrictions. Those most at risk of infection from the coronavirus were those with underlying medical conditions and those with disabilities who had difficulty taking infection control measures due to the various characteristics of their disability. We prepared some projects in response to the hardships of the participants for three years. Five sightseeing tours, including the remains of the recent Tohoku earthquakes to learn about the disaster area, reconstruction, and lessons learned from the disaster. A special symposium to learn about regional developments in Rikuzentakata City, which advocates town development without the need for the word “normalization.” Special subcommittees that looked back on the past 11 years of support activities and deepened preparations for future large-scale natural disasters. Active exchanges of opinions took place at 14 subcommittees, including user exchanges. We had no idea how precious it is to be face-to-face with people and to express our opinions and thoughts. Mitsutoshi Anbe and his friends with disabilities sang and danced in unison with the audience while wearing masks, wishing away the hardships of the past three years.

4. What I wanted to convey through the Conference ～ Connecting the truth and lessons from the Corona disaster to the future

Through this National Conference, held for the first time in three years in a face-to-face forum due to the corona disaster, we were reminded of the meaning of "support." I believe that the relationship between "support" and "supported" is one that is built directly relative to each other and that this relationship is the basis for the mutual protection of lives in the event of a disaster or other emergency. It is my sincere hope that the lessons learned from past disaster relief efforts will be learned and that the importance of building a community and a society that values the lives and human rights of all people will be discussed once more as we move forward with community development.

Opening ceremony, Mitsutoshi Anbe and his friends with disabilities