Consideration on the Reconstruction of Education 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake -Neo-liberal reconstruction policies and the current state of communities and schools

Approximately 10 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck on March 11, 2011. Although the Great East Japan Earthquake is a natural disaster, it also has a large artificial factor. It also had an unprecedented impact, both temporally, geographically and economically, including the nuclear disaster. Over the past 10 years, more than 30 trillion yen has been invested in the affected areas, and huge infrastructure development has been carried out, almost achieving the initial target. However, the declining trend of local industry and population, which had been serious before the earthquake, has been accelerated by the earthquake. Comparing the population changes in the disaster area and outside area over the last 10 years, Iwate:each volatility was -17.8% and -6.8%, Miyagi: each volatility was -8.8% and -6.6% (excluding Sendai City), Fukushima: each volatility was -16.8% and -5.6%. In terms of the number of elementary and junior high school students (including compulsory education schools), Iwate: each volatility was -32.4% and -13.4%, Miyagi: each volatility was -18.2% and -10.9%, Fukushima: each volatility was -56.7% and -20.4%. These indicates that the child-rearing generation has not returned to the disaster area. Declining educational population will lead to decline and merger of regions. Based on this situation, measures for regional and education reconstruction must be considered. Fundamentally, it is necessary to review the neo-liberal reconstruction policies and education policies that have been used so far.