Some facilities of the J-Village training center, which is currently being reconstructed, will resume operations on July 28, the company operating J-Village has officially announced. J-Village straddles the towns of Naraha and Hirono, both in Fukushima Prefecture. In addition to hosting soccer-related events, such as the national soccer team's training camp ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the operating company plans to use the facilities for other sports, such as rugby, as well as drone racing and concerts.

　サッカートレーニング施設として整備が進むＪヴィレッジ（楢葉、広野町）の一部施設が７月２８日に再開される。運営会社のＪヴィレッジが１３日に正式発表した。２０２０年東京五輪日本代表の事前合宿などサッカー関連の大会誘致に加え、ラグビーなどの他競技やドローンレース、コンサートでの利用も視野に再開後の施設利用を進めていく。

　Operations of facilities including some of the natural turf pitches, a new accommodation building and a center building will be resumed ahead of other facilities. The new accommodation building will have 200 guest rooms, nearly twice as many as the former accommodation facility. A convention hall with a capacity of about 300 people also will become available. The operating company will begin accepting reservations for these facilities from April 1.

　天然芝を張り替えたピッチの一部や新宿泊棟、センター棟などを先行して再開する。宿泊客室として、従来の２倍近くに上る２００室を確保。約３００人が利用できるコンベンションホールも設ける。４月１日に予約を開始する予定。

　After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, J-Village was used as TEPCO's operational base for the decommissioning of the plant. However, before the disaster, J-Village had been used for training camps for the national team and J-League teams as well as for soccer events for children.

　 Ｊヴィレッジは、東日本大震災と東京電力福島第１原発事故後、廃炉に向けた前線基地として利用されてきたが、震災前のＪヴィレッジは日本代表やＪリーグチームなどの合宿に加え、子どもたちのサッカー大会会場として活用されていた。

　After partially resuming operations, the Fukushima prefectural government aims to fully resume operations in April next year by pushing forward construction of an all-weather practice field, a stadium and other facilities. In addition, the prefectural government will strengthen measures to promote the use of J-Village, which had been visited by about 500,000 people each year before the disaster.
　 Meanwhile, in line with the full resumption of operations of J-Village, there is a plan to build a new train station on the JR Joban Line between Hirono Station in Hirono and Kido Station in Naraha. With an eye on the plan, the prefectural government will consider using the facilities for purposes other than sports events.

　県は施設を一部再開後、全天候型練習場やスタジアムなどの整備を進め、来年４月の全面再開を目指す。併せて、震災前には年間約５０万人が訪れていたＪヴィレッジの利用促進策を強化。施設の全面再開に合わせてＪＲ常磐線広野―木戸（楢葉町）間に新駅が設置される構想も見据え、サッカー競技やスポーツ以外での利用も検討していく。

　Eiji Ueda, vice president of J-Village, and Shunsuke Ono, executive director of the company, held a press conference at the prefectural government building and announced the date when they planned to resume operations. "J-Village finally will resume operations about seven years and four months after the disaster. We would like to make efforts to make it a symbol of reconstruction of Fukushima by turning it into a base where many people gather together and interact with each other through the power of sports," Ueda said.

　上田栄治副社長、小野俊介専務が県庁で記者会見し、再開日を発表した。上田副社長は「震災から７年４カ月余りの時を経てＪヴィレッジが再始動する。スポーツの力で再び多くの人々が集い、交流する拠点となり、Ｊヴィレッジが福島復興のシンボルとなるよう尽力していきたい」と述べた。

　In addition, Fukushima Gov. Masao Uchibori expressed a feeling of hope at a regular press conference. "J-Village is equipped with attractive facilities such as an all-weather practice field and a new accommodation building. I hope it will make a great contribution not only to promoting sports but also to increasing the number of people communicating through sports and dispelling unfounded concerns as a new core facility for the region," he said.

（　Translated by The Japan News　）

　 また、内堀雅雄知事は定例記者会見で「全天候型練習場や新宿泊棟など新たな魅力を備えた施設であり、スポーツの振興はもとより地域の中核的な施設として交流人口拡大や風評払拭にも大きく貢献してくれる」と期待を示した。

　【　２０１８年２月１４日付・福島民友新聞掲載　】