nhk world's akiko okamoto reports. >> reporter: fujita was born and raised in kesennuma.e cultivates seaweed and catches fish for a living. his family members have been fishers for more than 100 years. but the tsunami two years ago destroyed everything. his company, his boat, his home. >> translator: i was devastated. i didn't know what to think when i saw that everything was gone. >> reporter: fujita suffered more than $1 million in financial damage. but he never gave up on his business. a few months after the disaster, he heard about a unique investment fund company. the firm based in tokyo originally manages funds for musicians. the company brings together fans who want to make small-lot investments in artists. they wanted to use the system for the devastated region. the system works like this. one unit of investment costs less than $120. of that, about half is invested while the other half is a donation. the fund company takes a small fee. in return, the investors receive the firm's products as a gift. if the firm makes a profit, the investors are also paid dividends.