Ishinomaki fishermen still in quagmire                                                      いまだ苦境に立たされる石巻漁港-マスコミの在り方に疑問の声も-

28/11/2014

  The Ishinokaki Fishery Harbor in Miyagi Prefecture was destroyed by the Great East Japan Earthquake three and a half years ago. This reporter visited there during the summer holidays and interviewed Kunio Suno, president of Ishinomaki Fishery Market Co., about how the local fishery industry has recovered from the havoc.


  東日本大震災で津波の被害を受けた宮城県石巻市の石巻漁港へ足を運び、水産業の復興について石巻魚市場株式会社代表取締役社長の須能邦雄さんに話を聞いた。


The fishing port, opened in 1974, is the biggest in Asia with a 1.2-kilometer-long landing wharf and a 652-meter-long fish market. The market was ravaged by tsunami and pushed back some 100 meters landward, with 95 factories in the fishery processing center just behind the port all but wiped out. A large amount of fish stored in the factories all went rotten and sent out terrible odor all over the area for three months, drawing an enormous flight of gulls and flies. The situation was so serious that many people thought no food business will be possible again in the area.


1974年に開港された石巻漁港は1.2キロの水揚げ岸壁と652メートルの魚市場があり、東洋一の長さを誇る漁港。津波でこの魚市場が破壊され、100メートルほど陸側に押し流され、95社もあった水産加工団地の工場はほぼ壊滅状態になった。また、水産加工会社に保存されていた大量の魚が腐敗。漁港周辺には3カ月ほど猛烈な異臭が漂い、カモメやハエの群れでこの地区で食品を扱う仕事はもう不可能と考える人も少なくなかったという。


However, the restoration work began thanks to the efforts made by local people. The fish market is still under construction but it is partly in operation. During his interview, Suno invited me to look around the radioactivity checks on fish, auctions, fish landing and sorting. The operations went so smoothly that I felt as if there had been no tsunami damage. But the president told me, “We want to go back to our pre-disaster life.”


しかし、地元の人々の努力で復旧工事が始まった。魚市場もまだ建設中だが、現在は完成した一部を利用。取材では、魚の放射能検査状況をみた後に、競り、水揚げ、魚の選別の様子を順に見て回った。津波被害を感じさせないほど、作業はスムーズに行われていたが、須能社長は「早く元の生活に戻りたい」と口にする。

Ishinomaki is located where two ocean currents meet each other. It was a port that boasted one of the biggest fish catches in the world. But when fish from Ishinomaki stopped being distributed, fish from other areas like Hokkaido and Kyushu took it over in the market. That didn’t bother consumers because they could get any fish they wanted to have. But the Ishinomaki Federation of Fishery Cooperatives remains caught in the doldrums nearly four years after the nightmare because despite the recovering catch, no markets in other areas of the country would buy their fish.


 石巻は潮目のぶつかるところに位置し、世界有数の漁獲量を誇る漁港だった。しかし、震災で石巻の魚が流通しなくなると、北海道や九州を含む他地域の魚が代わりに市場へ出る。消費者からみれば、食べたい魚がなくなることはなく、困らない。しかし、石巻漁連は、たとえ漁獲が復活しても、地元以外で買い取ってくれるところがなく、震災から4年になろうとしている今も苦境に立たされている。


  Apart from the fishermen’s plight, some other industries have recovered their pre-disaster vigor and are faring even better. Behind the scenes is always the presence of the media. The media gives precedence to news that pleases the readers and viewers. For a while after the 3.11, it played up people in trouble. Now it focuses on people who have got over their hardships and become self-reliant. Suno questioned the way the media goes. He emphasized, “The TV footage that has a big impact on people should impartially present what is the real situation in the afflicted areas and what people do there.” He added, “It’s important for you to know what are the true facts in the world.”


  水産業の苦境を横目に、すでに震災前の、あるいはそれ以上の活気を取り戻している産業もある。そこには必ずといってもいいほどに、マスコミの存在が大きい。マスコミは、視聴者が喜ぶ、目をひくようなことを最優先に取り上げる。被災当初は苦労している話が映像になり、4年近くたった今は震災を乗り越えて自立した人たちが取り上げられる。そのマスコミのあり方に須能社長は疑問を抱いている。「被災地がどんな状況なのか、どんなことをしているのか、世の中にあたえる力が大きい映像はこれらを平等に映し出すべき」(同社長)と強く主張。そして「何が世の中の事実なのか知ることが大事」と語る。

So, what is the truth? He cited the radioactivity issue as an example. The Ishinomaki fishing port carries out a close check on fish it handles. It uses a device developed and offered by Tohoku University that can gauge radioactivity levels of fish without disassembling it. Fish can be easily checked as it moves on a conveyor belt. After that, it is minced for a closer data analysis. Fish is not shipped out into the market unless it clears all these multiple examinations.


事実とは何か。例えば、放射能問題。石巻漁港では、震災後獲ってきた魚の放射能検査を綿密に行っている。東北大学が開発、提供してくれた魚を解体しないで測定できる機械で、ベルトコンベアーに乗った魚は簡単に検査を受けることができる。その後、ミンチ状にされ、データ分析を受ける。何重にも検査されて初めて魚は市場へ出回るのだ。


  But in spite of the elaborate checks, the government has set radioactivity regulation values much stricter than those applied by other countries. As a consequence, some kinds of fish that can be shipped in other countries are not allowed to be shipped in Japan. You may say that what the government does to gain the trust of other countries is pulling the leg of the damaged industry and is deterring the process of disaster restoration.


しかし、これだけ手の込んだ作業を行っていても、政府は放射能の規制値を他国と比べて非常に厳しく設定している。結果、他国では出荷できる魚も日本では出荷できないものがある。世界の信頼感を得るために行っていることが、実は産業発展、震災復興の足を引っ張っているといえる。


  “Japan has utterly changed,” Suno said deploringly. He recalled that the state, households and neighborhoods cooperated with each other in reviving Japan after World War II. But after the latest disaster, he said, a distinctive divide emerged between the winners and losers. There are people who have set up business by using the disaster as a weapon or people who have crept into the media’s favor. On the other hand, there are people who are still in trouble and suffering. Suno said he gets irritated when he sees today’s Japan not making use of the reflections and lessons it has drawn from the past history. Now, he goes to schools and talks in classes about the social mechanism and the present situation. Suno, who carries the Ishinomaki fishing industry on his shoulder, works hard with fellow citizens to promote regional development and bring a brighter future to the community.


 「日本は変わってしまった」と、須能社長は言う。同社長によると、戦後、日本は国と家族、近所で協力し合って見事な復活を果たした。しかし、今回の震災では「被災を武器に」商売を始めているところやマスコミに取り上げられたところなど、成功者と脱落者の明暗が顕著に表れていて、今この瞬間の苦しんでいる人もいるという。過去の歴史における反省や教訓をまったく生かせていない今の世の中に須能社長は苛立ちを感じている。須能社長は現在、小・中学校や高校で出前授業を行い、世の中の仕組みと現状を話している。石巻の水産業を背負う同社長は、市民皆と団結して地域を発展させていくと同時に、未来へ向けて精いっぱい取り組んでいる。

(Written by: Natsumi Nakano)(中野夏実)


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