People aiming to help boost commerce in the area hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The Fukko (“Recovery” in Japanese) Department Store launched, an online service offering nationwide a wide range of products — including local handmade items, farm fresh food and seafood, and traditional craft goods — with every product lovingly made with prayers and hope for recovery.

The website was launched by locals with their firm belief that their hometown must endure and survive their tremendous losses suffered from the great disaster – earthquake, tsunami and a nuclear accident.

Producers and processors, who may find it difficult to launch online shops by themselves, can outsource their sales to a branch of the online department store that consists of non-profit organizations, companies, and chambers of commerce. Meanwhile, partner companies initiated by Yahoo Japan Corp. support the operation of online shopping malls, product sales and promote a public relations campaign of the Fukko Department Store.

The people running the online department store hope to continue linking up relationships between customers nationwide and businesses in the disaster-stricken Tohoku area, and introduce as many shops, products, and producers from there as possible, with the aim of helping the community to move a step further on their way to full recovery.