Documentary Co-Edited by C&R Staff and Asahi Broadcasting Television Wins Grand Prize at Galaxy Awards in Reporting Category

The documentary 'In the Name of Reconstruction: Kobe-Nagata’s Post-Disaster Redevelopment and Voices of Affected Shop Owners' (produced by Asahi Broadcasting Television), edited by Yusuke Tomofuji of Creek & River Co., Ltd., has been awarded the Grand Prize in the Reporting category at the 63rd Galaxy Awards. This marks the second major award for a documentary involving Tomofuji, following the World Media Festival Gold Award for 'Invisible Scars: 20 Years Since the JR Derailment Accident.'

The Galaxy Awards were established in 1963 by the Association for Broadcast Criticism to promote the qualitative improvement of Japanese broadcasting culture by recognizing outstanding programs, individuals, and organizations.

[About the Award-Winning Work]
'In the Name of Reconstruction: Kobe-Nagata’s Post-Disaster Redevelopment and Voices of Affected Shop Owners'
(Reported from January 2012 to January 2026 on Asahi Broadcasting Television’s evening news programs 'Cast' and 'News Okaeri,' as well as in the 'Tele-Documentary' series.)

Producer: Daisuke Yajima (Asahi Broadcasting Television), Yoichi Miyazawa (Asahi Broadcasting Television)
Director: Michiko Nishimura (Asahi Broadcasting Television)
Editor: Yusuke Tomofuji (Creek & River Co., Ltd.)
Production & Copyright: Asahi Broadcasting Television
*Affiliations as of time of production

In the area south of JR Shin-Nagata Station in Kobe City, severely damaged by fires during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Kobe City decided just two months after the disaster on a large-scale redevelopment project—the largest in western Japan—costing a total of 271 billion yen and involving the construction of approximately 40 mid- to high-rise buildings. In this redevelopment zone, residents and shop owners were not allowed to freely rebuild their homes or shops. Instead, shop owners were forced to choose between moving into city-built buildings or leaving the area entirely. The former working-class neighborhood transformed into a concrete city, with earthquake- and fire-resistant high-rise buildings constructed one after another. However, shop owners who began operating businesses in these new buildings began voicing concerns about financial hardship. Operating a business in a high-rise building entailed significant financial burdens, while the expected level of commercial activity failed to materialize. Whether shop owners purchased or leased their units from the city, they were burdened with loan and rent payments, and even when their businesses struggled, they had to continue paying monthly 'management fees' and 'repair reserve funds.' The documentary investigates and reports on the gap between 'reconstruction driven by public authorities' and 'true recovery from the perspective of disaster victims,' along with its underlying causes.

[About Creek & River Co., Ltd.]
Founded in 1990, Creek & River Co., Ltd. operates with the mission of 'enhancing the lifelong value of professionals' and 'contributing to clients’ value creation.' The company specializes in agency services (dispatch and placement), production services (development and contracting), and rights management (planning, development, and distribution of intellectual property) for professionals in fields including video, gaming, web, advertising and publishing, authors, performing arts, architecture, AI/DX, and athletes. As part of the C&R Group, it extends these services to healthcare, IT, accounting, legal, fashion, food, life sciences, CXO, and agriculture sectors, expanding its expertise to 18 fields in total. The company has further expanded its services into XR, NFTs, the metaverse, drones, professional job platforms, and global development. Going forward, it aims to continue contributing to people’s happiness as a business creation company that brings together the wisdom of professionals to generate new value.