[Group Report] Members of the Suzuken Group Labor Union Federation visit the facility for corporate training
On July 14, 2024, members of the Suzuken Group Labor Union Federation visited the Minamisanriku 311 Memorial.
This time, the training was held in Minamisanriku Town in conjunction with the general meeting of the association, and included a tour of the memorial exhibition, a learning program, and a program where they listened to a story told by someone who was a high school student at the time of the earthquake.
At the entrance to the building, there are panels and a 3D map that compile numbers and data related to the earthquake. The staff explained to us that the place where we are standing now is the land that was raised 10.8m after the earthquake, and that the tsunami reached a point almost as high as the ceiling of this building. There is also a line on the wall marking the height of the tsunami that hit the old disaster prevention building, 15.5m, and we looked up, tilting our heads to the side, and witnessed this "unforeseen" fact.
Afterwards, we proceeded to the exhibition gallery, where exhibits were displayed compiling stories from the Great East Japan Earthquake, testimony videos, documents, etc. Everyone was glued to the video of survivors' testimonies on the roof of the former Disaster Prevention Center building.
From the example of Minamisanriku Town, where many of the designated evacuation centers and evacuation sites in the town were hit by the tsunami during the earthquake, we learn that when a natural disaster occurs, we may be faced with situations that far exceed our expectations.
How did the witnesses, who were junior and senior high school students at the time of the disaster, evacuate and respond at the evacuation centers that were hit by the tsunami that day? And how did the firefighters, who were tasked with saving lives, reassess the meaning of "protecting one's own life" after the disaster?
During the program, there are time set aside for questions based on the lessons learned and for participants to have dialogue with each other. Through these, participants can gain new insights and ideas, which is a distinctive feature of the learning program.
Finally, we would like to share some impressions from the participants.
A participant from Fukushima said, "This was the first time I've ever been to a program that made me think so much on my own," and that he gained many new realizations.
"I often work with pharmacies and other businesses, and when I'm in the store, I sometimes have to evacuate the staff first. When that happens, I realize that I need to think about how I should evacuate as well."
A participant from Nagoya said, "To be honest, the footage of those affected was quite heartbreaking," and that the event provided him with time to think deeply about protecting his own life.
"It's a company with many essential workers in the medical and welfare fields. I realized that by protecting my own life, I can deliver medicine to those who need it and support those who need nursing care and welfare, which in turn helps protect the lives of those who need medical care."
The Suzuken Group is a company that is involved in a wide range of medical-related businesses, including pharmaceutical wholesale, nursing care and welfare, and healthcare product development, and they do a lot of work that is strongly conscious of "helping people." We hope that in their corporate activities, they will be able to make use of the lessons learned from Minamisanriku Town and other areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
