The governments of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, which were hit hardest by the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake, face the challenge of passing on the lessons of the disaster to younger workers.

As of Jan. 1, the proportion of prefectural government officials at departments under the control of their respective governors who were hired after the disaster 14 years ago stood at 43.9% in Iwate and 45.7% in Miyagi, while the figure was 48.6% as of April 1 last year in Fukushima.

Meanwhile, many prefectural officials who were involved in front-line operations in the immediate aftermath of the massive earthquake and tsunami are retiring, driving generational shifts at their respective workplaces.