Visiting Minamisanriku Town to Pay Respects, Miyagi Prefecture
For the ninth anniversary of this terrible tragedy, the 2020 concert was scheduled to take place at three venues in the Tohoku region. It was postponed to next year due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
On September 2, 2020, Shinji Hattori, CEO of Seiko Group Corporation and the chairman of the organizing committee, visited Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture to see with his own eyes the progress of reconstruction in the area.
In the town of Minamisanriku, where the sound of construction work can still be heard, the remains of the Disaster Prevention Building and the beautiful new shopping streets next to it tell the story of the nine-year-long reconstruction process.
They say that the circle of songs grew and they all survived the cold night together.
Music always gives us the strength to move forward.
Sound of “Wa” Concert to Support Eastern Japan in a Spirit of Harmony 2020 in Tokyo
On October 5, the Sound of “Wa” Concert to Support Eastern Japan in a Spirit of Harmony 2020 in Tokyo, which had been postponed due to the spread of COVID-19, was held at Orchard Hall in Tokyo. Although there was no audience present, the livestream event brought the power and spirit of this music to people throughout Japan.
Special guests included Ayaka Hirahara, who performed at the opening ceremony for the Kamaishi rugby stadium in Iwate Prefecture (built on the site of a junior high school destroyed by the tsunami); Jiro Sugita, who popularized the theme “Love and Peace” with his hit song Children Who Don’t Know War; and Kohei Ueno, a young saxophonist who experienced the disaster in Ibaraki Prefecture first-hand and helped support recovery activities thereafter.
In addition, Machiko Watanabe, the vocal group Circus, and Midori Karashima, all of whom appear annually in the Sound of “Wa” Concerts held in the disaster-affected areas, performed a special show to communicate the progress of reconstruction efforts in the Tohoku region.
The Seiko Group undertakes community support activities through music that deepen bonds with people.