Steps Taken After the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on Friday, March 11, 2011, caused widespread damage throughout eastern Japan. Immediately after the disaster, ITOCHU set up a BCP (Business Continuity Plan) Response Headquarters and began taking steps to restore operations and provide the affected areas with assistance in the form of monetary donations and supplies. Over the longer term, we will continue to spare no effort in the execution of our business activities in order to provide the necessary support to recovery efforts in the region.

Major Steps Taken in the Immediate Aftermath

After the scale of damage from the earthquake and tsunami became clear, the BCP Response Headquarters was set up over the weekend (March 12, 13) and began operating on March 14 with the initial aim of ascertaining the safety of our employees and sustaining business operations.
Our primary focus was on establishing a structure to provide support for the damaged Tohoku Branch. We then assessed the situation at Group companies to determine what support they needed, and provided assistance accordingly. The disaster wreaked havoc on the transportation networks in Tokyo and surrounding areas, preventing many people from traveling to work on the following Monday. In response, we used internal emergency contact networks, our email system for verifying safety and whereabouts (sending of group email), and our intranet and extranet to communicate with our employees in the early hours of the 14th about coming in to work that day.
Although the earthquake overturned office fixtures and caused other damage to the Tohoku Branch, normal operation was resumed barely ten days later on March 22. While the state of emergency that prompted enactment of the BCP was rescinded on March 29, the BCP Response Headquarters will remain in place to mount a response to anticipated power shortages.
Also, another point of having a BCP is to have specific preventive steps of some kind already in place, not just enact them when catastrophe strikes. Going forward, ITOCHU will do all it can to prevent further tragedy and help those in the region who have already suffered.

Donations and Supplies

Of the monetary donations of 400 million yen made by ITOCHU, one part we used to support a wide range of activities in those areas hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami through the local governments of Miyagi Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture. Another part of the donations was made through an NPO, JAPAN PLATFORM, a consortium of NPOs, the business community, and representatives from government agencies. This part was used to fund the activities of NPOs working on the ground. Emergency relief supplies were prepared, packed, and delivered in accordance with the requests of the disaster relief headquarters for the affected areas. Our deliveries of SPAMR, a canned, precooked meat product, were particularly well received as it requires neither refrigeration nor a can opener.

Continuing Power Conservation Efforts

The invocation in Japan of Article 27 of the Electricity Business Act has mandated a 15% year-on-year reduction in peak electric power usage. To ensure that it clears this hurdle, ITOCHU set a conservation target at the Tokyo Headquarters Building that represents a 25% reduction from the previous fiscal year. We are effectively combining the use of an energy management system with several energy-saving measures, including a switch to LED ceiling lights, the use of LED desk lights, optimal air-conditioning settings, and the use of energysaving software on PCs. Power consumption at the Tokyo Headquarters Building is also posted to the Company intranet approximately every 30 minutes as a way to promote active participation in the 6 effort to save energy. As concern that the problems surrounding the electric power supply in Japan will grow protracted, ITOCHU will offer energy management and energy-saving solution businesses to meet customer needs.

The Great East Japan Earthquake Recovery Assistance Site

In May 2011, ITOCHU launched a new website, the Great East Japan Earthquake Recovery Assistance Site, on its intranet to share information on the support activities of ITOCHU employees and the ITOCHU Group itself.
Posted on the website are up-to-date information on the Group’s assistance programs and employee volunteers, updates from the Tohoku Branch on local conditions, reports submitted by volunteers and more. We intend to use this site to keep employees informed about support activities for fostering recovery over the long term.

Charity Concert Held in Sendai

New York Symphonic Ensemble

Chairman Kobayashi in conversation with President Ichiriki

Every year for the past 20 years, ITOCHU has been holding a concert in the lobby of its Tokyo Headquarters. This year however, the event was moved to Sendai in an effort to help cheer up communities affected by the recent disaster. Held on July 19, the concert saw an audience of 1,000 treated to a performance of classical music by the New York Symphonic Ensemble. A talk show featuring actress Keiko Takeshita, the audience’s guide to the evening’s entertainment, Masahiko Ichiriki, president of regional news company Kahoku Shimpo, and ITOCHU chairman Eizo Kobayashi was also held during the event. Donations collected from those attending were presented to the Kiwanis Club of Sendai Children’s Fund.

Produce from Affected Areas Served Up at the Employee Cafeteria

Steps taken at the employee cafeteria

Many farmers in the affected areas have had difficulty selling their produce. This is a direct result of many consumers avoiding all goods grown or reared in the prefectures close to the troubled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. As a show of support, the Tokyo Headquarters has made a point of sourcing as much of the vegetables for the salads and side dishes offered at its cafeteria, from such producers as of April. The same is true for the liquor served by the cafeteria in the evenings. With roughly 1,600 employees patronizing the Tokyo headquarters establishment alone, we hope that this initiative will play a part, no matter how small, in helping local agriculture through this difficult time.

New Program Initiated to Encourage Employees to Volunteer in Relief Efforts

In May, ITOCHU set up a system for supporting employees wanting to volunteer for relief efforts. A Workers’ Volunteer Program organized by the Joint Committee for Coordinating and Supporting Voluntary Disaster Relief Activities, with recruitment handled by the 1% (One Percent) Club^(*). Employees were also directed to the “Kankeiren Volunteer Bus,” with recruitment efforts handled by the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren). In addition, ITOCHU is encouraging employees to take volunteer leave to participate in the program, and is paying the actual costs for participation (transportation, board, and other costs). As a Group we intend to encourage more and more employees to give their time to help those in need, and in doing so contribute to the recovery of the affected regions.

* Established by Keidanren in November 1990. Members are enterprises and individuals who pledge to contribute 1% or more of their operating profits or disposable incomes to social contribution activities.

Volunteer Report

Far left: Satoshi Takagi

Don’t Think, Do
Satoshi Takagi, Legal Division

Before going up to Tohoku I had seen pictures of the destruction on the TV and read about it in the news, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. I was wrong. Seeing something in print and witnessing it in person, right in front of your eyes, are two very different things. I still wonder whether or not what I did in Tohoku will be able to actually accomplish anything of value. Be that as it may, I believe we should take action without hesitation. I really think that the Workers’ Volunteer Program was a very good chance to participate in volunteering, especially because it was supported and encouraged by my employers at ITOCHU. It has become easier now to participate in volunteering compared with how the situation was in the past. Please make that first step. The experience really changes people. I hope that many more people have such an opportunity to help those affected by this catastrophe.

Left: Rieko Ueda

Growing Post-Disaster Volunteerism from Western Japan
Rieko Ueda, Textile Company, Planning & Administration Department

After the earthquake struck, I was eager to volunteer to help. But the distance of the the Tohoku area from western Japan, among other things, ended up becoming barriers to me doing so for a while. However, I finally managed to volunteer thanks to the Kansai Economic Federation, a volunteer leave of absence from ITOCHU, and my colleagues, who shared my workload during my absence. I was greatly encouraged by all of this support. I am grateful for the incredibly valuable experience that volunteering gave me. Before leaving, I was unsure whether I was physically strong enough to help, and worried that I might end up getting in the way. But once I arrived, those concerns were quickly brushed aside as I took on the mud and grime all around me with a shovel tightly in hand. This is just one indication of the virtual mountain of work that needs to be done there. Now that I and everyone else who took part are highly aware of the situation, I hope that we can help encourage more people from western Japan to volunteer in rebuilding the stricken northeastern region of the country.

Common menu of category from here.