Abstract
This study focuses on 58 entrepreneurs who started businesses in the coastal disaster areas of Iwate Prefecture affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, with policy support measures from 2013 to 2015. It individually clarifies the “entrepreneurial motives and beliefs (internal conscious-ness)” and “orientation towards mutual connections among entrepreneurs” by closely engaging with each entrepreneur. While 20% of the entrepreneurs are driven by self-fulfillment, another 20% are conscious of their involvement with the community, such as contributing to regional development. The majority, 60%, possess both motivations. These entrepreneurs play a role not only in the re-gional economy but also in improving living conditions, community society, and cultural life in the region’s recovery and revitalization. Additionally, as a collective, 75% of the entrepreneur’s find mutual connections effective for promoting and sustaining their businesses. These connections are characterized not by “trust” or “shared experiences of the disaster,” but by unique structures such as (1) the same circumstances faced in starting a business, (2) a commitment to the region, and (3) expectations for new business developments.
https://ror.org/05jk51a88 
