Rethinking Social Problem-Solving: Lessons from TOMODACHI and Noto

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JAPAN Forward launched its "Ignite" series of essays in English to directly share Japanese students' voices with their global peers. Nara Women's University student Haruno Shibata is one. As part of the US-Japan Council's TOMODACHI Initiative, Shibata and other participants traveled to the region devastated by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake on March 14-15, 2026. From that experience, she reconsidered how outsiders can use social problem-solving for better results in disaster reconstruction efforts.

The TOMODACHI Initiative is a private-public partnership between the US Embassy Tokyo and the US-Japan Council that was launched in the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. It focuses on developing next-generation leaders in Japan and the United States. This particular Noto Peninsula project was organized by the TOMODACHI Regional Representative of the Chubu-Hokuriku Region, Shiori Sata, and funding was provided by Prudential and Amazon.

Shibata's essay is the second submission among participants in the 2026 Noto Peninsula project. She explains why engaging with social issues that arise in reconstruction efforts is not only about taking action, but also about understanding one’s role within a network of relationships. Let's listen.

Forty-First in the Series, 'Ignite'

By Haruno Shibata
Essay on the TOMODACHI Initiative Noto Peninsula Project

“Will Japan really change at this rate?”

This question arose when I confronted the reality of Japan’s gender gap. I began to feel that addressing social issues requires more than individual awareness; it requires understanding the structures in which multiple actors interact. With this in mind, I participated in the Building the TOMODACHI Generation: Morgan Stanley Ambassadors Program.

During my training in the United States, I observed how public institutions, private companies, and third-sector organizations collaborate to address social challenges. Each plays a different role, complementing and sometimes checking one another. This experience led me to understand that society does not function through a single actor, but through relationships among actors with different positions and interests.

A volunteer guide explains the recovery status of Wakura Onsen in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake region. March 2026 (©Haruno Shibata)

To explore this perspective further, I joined a reconstruction tour of the Noto Peninsula. My goal was to understand how multi-stakeholder collaboration works in practice and to rethink disaster-affected areas as something more personal.

The 'Invisible Labor' Behind Collaboration

What struck me most was the burden behind “collaboration.” In a talk session, a local resident described their role in coordinating among government officials, external supporters, and community members. Their experience revealed a reality quite different from the ideal image of collaboration I had imagined. It involved constant negotiation, emotional strain, and the challenge of connecting actors with differing interests.

A scene from a talk session where the challenges of reconstruction were discussed (©Haruno Shibata)

This made me realize that collaboration does not happen naturally. I had assumed that cooperation among different actors was a given in reconstruction and social problem-solving. However, in reality, such relationships must be continuously maintained by someone who stands in between. There is, undeniably, a form of “invisible labor” that sustains collaboration.

Another concept that stayed with me was “disaster utopia.” In times of disaster, people often come together and support one another, creating a strong sense of solidarity. However, I came to see that this state is not self-sustaining. It depends on those who continue to maintain relationships behind the scenes.

Finding Better Ways to Engage

Through this experience, my perspective shifted. Instead of asking, “What can I do?” I now ask, “Within what kind of relationships should I engage with society?” Engaging with social issues is not only about taking action, but also about understanding one’s role within a network of relationships.

My academic interest lies in the social structures that place disproportionate household responsibilities on women, often based on assumptions of economic dependence. This issue is also shaped by relationships among multiple actors, including labor systems, institutions, and family norms. It should therefore be understood not merely as a matter of individual choice, but as a problem of how these relationships are structured.

The “invisible labor” I observed in Noto resonates strongly with this perspective. Moving forward, I hope to engage with social issues not only by focusing on visible outcomes, but also by examining the underlying structures and relationships that sustain them.

Damaged buildings are still visible at Nanao Bay as it continues in the process of recovery. (©Haruno Shibata)

About the Author

Haruno Shibata was a senior in the Life and Culture Studies Course, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, at the Nara Women's University Department of Cultural Information when she wrote this essay. Her motivation for the essay was in part driven by what she learned from her earlier participation in the Building the TOMODACHI Generation: Morgan Stanley Ambassadors Program. That experience influenced her engagement in the 2026 US-Japan Council's TOMODACHI Initiative Noto Peninsula project.

Disasters happen in many parts of the world. Hoping to contribute to the way we view recovery, Shibata chose to share what she has learned with her global peers in English.

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