Akio Sato runs a factory making leather bags in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, hoping to create a new industry and help speed recovery in the coastal fishing and farming town that was hit hard by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
"People might laugh when they hear me saying I'd like to make this town a major manufacturing foothold for fashion," the 63-year-old Sato says. "I believe this way we can return the favors we received from people who have supported us."
Sato, who was born and grew up in Minamisanriku, previously owned an electronics parts production factory. It was flooded by the tsunami.