Supporting the Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake

To contribute to recovery in the disaster–stricken areas, Mizuho is mobilizing its group–wide resources, including the provision of volunteer workers from among its employees as well as materials, seedlings, and other items.

Volunteer Activities in Disaster–stricken Areas

Working in cooperation with partners including members of the Fuyo–Group Social Contribution Network, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the Tokyo Council of Social Welfare, Mizuho has sent employee volunteers to provide assistance in disaster–stricken areas.

Summary of volunteer activities in the disaster–stricken areas

Date of Event	Total working days	Total participants	Areas for volunteer activities
FY2016	1 day	27 persons	Shichigahama Town, Miyagi Prefecture
FY2014	24 days	62 persons	Shichigahama Town, Miyagi Prefecture
FY2013	21 days	48 persons	Shichigahama Town, Miyagi Prefecture
FY2012	32 days	67 persons	Shichigahama Town, Miyagi Prefecture
FY2011	92 days	222 persons	Shichigahama Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture

Mizuho Forest Project

Through the Mizuho Forest Project, Mizuho is committed to regenerating the coastal disaster prevention forest in Fukushima Prefecture, which was heavily damaged by the tsunami. In April 2013, Mizuho signed an agreement with Fukushima Prefecture, Iwaki City, and the owner of a local disaster prevention forest, and will work on regenerating 1.3 hectares of forest for coastal disaster prevention in Iwaki City by March 2022. As of March 2016, we have carried out tree–planting activities three times, during which a total of about 400 Mizuho employees together with local officials and residents planted around 14,000 Japanese black pine seedlings.

In 2023, with the cooperation of local government officials, bank employees at Mizuho's Iwaki branch carried out underbrush cutting.

Initiatives to Assist Children in the Stricken Areas

Mizuho Picture Book Project

For children in the disaster–stricken areas, Mizuho employees worked to implement a project for providing children's picture books as well as messages from donors. From May 2011 through March 2013, a total of 23,000 books were donated to 288 kindergartens, primary schools, middle schools, and other locations in three prefectures.

Donation of Traditional Dolls and Carp Banners for Festivals to the Cities of Soma and Minami–Soma

Between February and April 2012, Mizuho obtained around 600 traditional hina dolls and carp banners for festivals from a customer and donated them to elementary schools in the cities of Soma and Minami–Soma in Fukushima Prefecture.

Financial and Economic Education in Ofunato City and Rikuzentakata City

With the aim of providing opportunities for career planning to all junior high school students in Ofunato City since 2012 and Rikuzentakata City since 2016, Iwate Prefecture, Mizuho has participated in an annual career education event.

Public Soccer Viewing in Kamaishi City

In May 2014, Mizuho held a public viewing event for a game of the Japan National Football Team in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, and children from the disaster–stricken area were also invited to view the game.

Support for Marathon Events in Rikuzentakata City

In Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, Mizuho has revived the holding of marathon events, which had been discontinued since the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster, and co–sponsored the first Rikuzentakata Support Marathon from FY2015.

Flowers and Seedlings Were Presented to the Disaster–stricken Areas.

Hana Ippai Campaign

As part of its "Asset Management and Housing Loan Campaign," since July 2011, MHBK has collaborated with the "Hana Ippai Campaign Conducted by Green Advisers," which is sponsored by the Japan Home Garden Association and engaged in activities to send flowers to the disaster–stricken areas.

Hamagiku chrysanthemums were donated to Shichigahama Town.

As part of Mizuho volunteer activities to support recovery from the disaster from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2013, Mizuho donated and planted hamagiku chrysanthemums in Shichigahama Town in Miyagi Prefecture.

Recovery Support Initiatives Included Sales of Products.

Sales Events for Offering Goods from Disaster–stricken Areas to Our Employees

Since the disaster, Mizuho has held many sales events, mainly at our Tokyo offices, to sell goods from the disaster–stricken areas to our employees. As of March 2017, these events have been held about 50 times, and sellers have been invited from Aomori Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture.

Menus Featuring Food from Disaster–stricken Areas Offered at the Employee Cafeteria

At our cafeterias, we have been offering a menu featuring food from disaster–stricken areas, particularly at Mizuho's Tokyo offices.

Effective Utilization of Wood Thinned from Forests of Disaster–stricken Areas

At a career fair for new college graduates organized by Mizuho, we distributed notebooks made especially by Mizuho from wood thinned from the forests of the disaster–stricken areas. For the front and back covers, cedar trees thinned from Minami–Sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, were used. As manufacturing and other tasks such as packaging and wrapping for the notebooks were carried out in Minami–Sanriku Town, we supported reconstruction and employment promotion in the disaster areas.