Tohoku Reconstruction support
On March 11, 2021, it will be 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Under the Sapporo Group's Tohoku Mirai Project, the Group companies have been working together to support reconstruction activities under the key themes of "promoting consumption of products," "disseminating information," and "fostering the next generation.
Going forward, we will continue to support reconstruction efforts together with local residents through the business activities of each Group company.
Three priority themes for reconstruction activities
Support with the cooperation of customers
The amount equivalent to beer sales at the annual “Yebisu Beer Festival” held in September at Yebisu Garden Place have been donated to reconstruction efforts for the Tohoku region since 2011. These donations have also been applied to reconstruction efforts after the Kumamoto earthquake since 2016. The donated amount exceeded a total of 100 million yen in 2017. We extend our utmost gratitude towards customers participating in the festival.
*The Yebisu Beer Festival scheduled to take place in autumn 2020 was cancelled.
Support with the cooperation of shareholders
Since 2013*, Sapporo Holdings has been donating the same amount of money to local governments and organizations working on reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake for shareholders who select "Donation for social contribution" as their shareholder special benefit.
The total amount for the period 2013-2020 is 26,784 thousand yen.
Social contributions through shareholder hospitality programs
* From 2012 shareholder special gifts
Providing educational opportunities for children from disaster-stricken areas
Through the authorized nonprofit organization “Katariba”, the Sapporo Group supports growth of the younger generation with “Collabo-School,” which offers a place for learning, educational support and mental care for children from disaster-stricken areas.
- Great East Japan Earthquake: Continued support from 2011 for Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture “Onagawa Kougakukan” and Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture “Otsuchi Ringakusha”
- Kumamoto earthquake: Continued support from 2016 for Mashiki Town, Kumamoto Prefecture “Mashiki Musojuku”
- Donation of tablets to be used in the "Hometown Department" at the integrated elementary and junior high school in Otsuchi-cho, Iwate Prefecture in 2019
Four Prefectures Jointly Host the “2nd Reconstruction Support Marche in Yebisu”
On April 10, 2019, 14 ninth-grade students from Kirikiri Gakuen Junior High School in Otsuchi-cho, Iwate Prefecture, visited the head office on the first day of their school trip and sold Wakame, the result of their efforts in the "Hometown Studies" class, at Yebisu Garden Place Center Plaza while performing the local entertainment "Kirikiri Daikagura.
This is the third visit to the company's headquarters since 2017 due to the use of shareholder benefits.
* This is the third visit to the company's headquarters since 2017.
* The program was cancelled in 2020 due to the prevention of coronavirus infection.
Support for the establishment of the Earthquake Resource Room at Shizugawa High School in Miyagi Prefecture
We provided support to Shizugawa High School in Miyagi Prefecture for the establishment of an Earthquake Disaster Resource Room to convey the experiences and lessons of the disaster to visitors from Japan and abroad, and to use the room as a resource room for disseminating information about the town.
Donation to Onagawa Town Elementary School for Purchase of Programming Materials
Onagawa Elementary School in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture, is working on program education to achieve its educational goal of "nurturing children who cherish life, love Onagawa Town, and open up the future with ambition. We agreed with their efforts and supported them in the hope that they will be useful for the development of human resources who will be responsible for the future of Onagawa Town.
Support after the Great East Japan Earthquake
The Sapporo Group has a strong belief that the support it offers for this unprecedented disaster should not be sporadic but continuous, and that all support incorporates opinions from regional citizens and municipalities to deliberate “what support is really necessary”.
Supporting Recovery with Sapporo Lion Menu
Sapporo Lion has been incorporating ingredients from the disaster-affected areas into its grand menu and fair menu, and from 2018, it has added a new logo mark to support the recovery effort by communicating the deliciousness of ingredients from each region.
Helping to repair the Kodomo Mikoshi in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture
Sapporo Holdings made a monetary donation to repair the Kodomo Mikoshi (children’s portable shrine) belonging to Hakusan Shrine in Miyagi Prefecture’s Onagawa Town.
For the first time since 2010, both the Hon Mikoshi (main portable shrine) and the Kodomo Mikoshi were paraded together around the town during the shrine’s annual festival in May. Children were thrilled to see the portable shrine, and Hakusan Shrine once again became a focal point for the local community.
Support for the Sendai Pageant of Starlight, one of the symbols of winter in Sendai
First held in 1986, the Sendai Pageant of Starlight is held through the joint efforts of the executive committee and public volunteers. A symbol of winter in the Tohoku region, every year it attracts large numbers of attendees.
The light bulbs originally used in the pageant were lost to the Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami; however, the Sapporo Group commends the desire to “continue to light the pageant up through the cooperation of all,” and has made financial contributions every year since 2012.
Photographs provided courtesy of the Sendai Pageant of Starlight Executive Committee
Fukushima Festa in Ebisu
On March 9 and 10, 2019, Fukushima Prefecture held the Fukushima Festa at Yebisu Garden Place in Tokyo.
Local produce was sold, tourism to the region was promote, and the Happy Fukushima Tai, the Date Busyou Tai, and Kibitan —all members of the Fukushima Prefecture support team—attended and energized the festa.
The Tohoku Reconstruction Support Tour
The Sapporo Group has held a Tohoku Reconstruction Support Tour every year since 2013, with participation from volunteer employees, and their families and friends. The tour visits disaster-stricken areas and enables participants to learn about the current status of the Tohoku region. It also provides each participant with opportunities to directly support reconstruction in the Tohoku area, for example through the purchase of locally produced goods.
Revival of the Standing Ebisu Statue, a symbol of Kesennuma citizens
The second Ebisu statue at Shinmeizaki in Kesennuma Bay, a symbol of Kesennuma City's prayers for safe voyages and great fishing, was lost in the tsunami. In response to a request for assistance in rebuilding the statue, we provided support for the restoration of the third Ebisu statue, thanks to our relationship with Ebisu Beer, one of the main products of Sapporo Beer Co. The second Ebisu statue was found during the construction work for its erection, and was unveiled on the same day.
Supporting the recovery of the fishing industry in Yuriage, Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture
The Yuriage area in Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture, is one of the areas that was severely damaged by the earthquake.
In order to support the fishing industry, which is the core industry of the area, we donated one electric forklift truck each in 2016 and 2018, and aquaculture racks in 2020 to the Miyagi Prefecture Fishing Cooperative Association (Yuriage).
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A letter of thanks from the Minister for Reconstruction
In recognition of its continued support for reconstruction in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Sapporo Group has received a letter of thanks from the Hiromichi Watanabe, Minister for Reconstruction at the Reconstruction Agency . Going forward, the Sapporo Group will continue to work together with those in disaster-stricken areas for the future of the Tohoku region.