Japanese Consumer Co-ops are engaged in activities to pass on and preserve the memory of the disaster caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake from fading away. 

On March 18, 20 Board Members of Iwate Co-op* participated in the "Sakura Line 311" tree-planting event.

Sakura Line 311 is a certified nonprofit organization that works toward a future in which the loss of human life due to natural disasters will never be repeated. They plant cherry trees in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, at the maximum tsunami points so that they can protect themselves and their loved ones in the event of another tsunami as large as the one that hit in the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.

The project aims to pass on the memory of the Great East Japan Earthquake to future generations by creating a row of 17,000 cherry blossom trees at 10ⅿ intervals. To date, 2,052 cherry trees have been planted. Although the weather was unfortunately rainy on the day of the event, the board members planted 7 cherry trees in Kesen town, Rikuzentakata City.

Iwate Co-op has been conducting study tours to disaster-stricken areas as part of its study session for its members, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the co-op was unable to implement the program. This time, however, the board members participated in the "Sakura Line 311" tree-planting activity and commented that it was a good opportunity to think about the disaster as their own personal matter.

Reference: "Sakura Line 311" website

*Iwate Co-op has membership of 274,772 (51.6% of households in the prefecture) and conducts home delivery and store businesses in Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.