Rugby field Rises from Ruins of Tsunami in Iwate for RWC 2019

KAMAISHI, Iwate Prefecture--With the clock ticking on the start of the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, work was progressing on a new rugby stadium here on May 8, only 500 days before the opening kickoff. Tentatively called the Kamaishi Unosumai recovery stadium, it will be one of 12 venues for RWC 2019, and the only one in the area that was ravaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. The city of Kamaishi lost more than 1,000 lives in the 2011 disaster, and the coastal Unosumai district, where the stadium is located, experienced the largest loss in the city with a total of 580 dead or presumed dead. The World Cup will provide an opportunity to publicize the recovery of the tsunami hit-region to a global audience and pass on the lessons learned through the disaster. Construction is scheduled to finish at the end of July.