Japanese Tuna Business Picking Up Againff

Source: The Mainichi Daily News

When the March 11 tsunami struck the fishing port of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Shuichiro Fujita, the president of a company selling cases for freshly caught skipjack tuna, lost his home and company facilities, leaving him helpless.

More than three months on, the 48-year-old has finally managed to get back to business.

“It’s emotional being able to reach this stage,” he said, looking at a recently landed catch of tuna.

Before the tsunami, Kesennuma boasted Japan’s biggest catch of skipjack tuna, but the day after the disaster, the coastal area of Kesennuma had been reduced to rubble. All remnants of the fishing town had vanished.

Fujita, the third-generation president of his company, was hesitant to take out a new loan to keep the business afloat.

“I wondered whether I should keep the family business going,” he said. He was also worried about whether customers would return to Kesennuma. But around the end of March, he learned that an old processing facility away from the port had escaped damage, and decided to restart the business.

The old facility was where he had worked with his father Ryoetsu, who passed away three years ago at the age of 73. He felt like his father was sending him a message from heaven, saying, “Don’t give in to the quake disaster; continue the business.” Fujita borrowed another warehouse, and started preparations to make sure he was ready when catches of skipjack tuna were landed.

Before the disaster, Fujita would ship out 1 million cases a year for skipjack tuna alone, which accounted for more than half his yearly sales. Though he has restarted the business, he has concerns for the future.

“I don’t know how much skipjack tuna they will land, and I’m not sure how many cases I’ll need,” he said.

Still, he has found support from his 25-year-old son Ippei, who quit his job and returned home from Tokyo at the end of last year to carry over the business. Fujita tells himself that the show must go on.

“We can’t let the history of Kesennuma establishing a brand through skipjack tuna fade,” he says.