125TH YEAR | NO. 43,334 ISSN 02891956 © THE JAPAN TIMES, LTD., 2021 The Japan Times SDGs 2021
Head O ice: Ichibancho-Daini-TG Bldg., 2 2 Ichibancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Advertising (Media Solutions) Tel: 050 3646 8421 Email: [email protected] Bosai Special Web: www.japantimes.co.jp THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
KYODO Lessons learned help to bolster disaster resilience
behalf of the Japanese people, would like to rated them into its post-disaster response Yoshihide Suga express once again our sincere appreciation measures. The public and private sectors are PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN to all the people, countries, regions, interna- working hand in hand to build up a disaster- tional organizations, nongovernmental orga- resilient nation from a long-term perspective, arch 11 marks the 10th anniversary nizations and others that supported us. utilizing drone technology in disaster- of the Great East Japan By virtue of that goodwill, the disaster-rav- stricken areas, enhancing the earthquake M Earthquake, which precipitated an aged areas made headway toward recon- resistance of buildings and forecasting disas- unprecedented catastrophe. The 9.0 magni- struction, progressing step by step. ters with the use of supercomputers, among tude earthquake, the strongest ever Reconstruction has advanced tremendously other endeavors. recorded in Japan, was also the fourth-stron- thanks to this decade of e orts. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic gest worldwide since 1900. With its focus In the earthquake- and tsunami-stricken Games are scheduled to be held this year. We spanning a wide swath below the seabed, it areas, to a great extent housing has been would like to make this an opportunity to triggered massive tsunamis that wreaked rebuilt, roads and railroads restored, and showcase to the world our recovery from the untold damage and devastation across a vast community development achieved. We will Great East Japan Earthquake. We are press- area, especially along Japan’s Paci ic coast. exert renewed e ort to support those ing forward in our preparations for the The number of victims — those who died a ected, including by providing psychologi- games, determined to have them deliver directly or indirectly as a consequence of the cal care and helping communities crystallize hope and encouragement around the world, earthquake in addition to missing persons — and lourish. also dispelling unfounded rumors. with all possible precautions in place to avoid exceeded 20,000, and approximately In the area a ected by the nuclear disaster To transform the experience of this catas- the spreading of COVID 19. 400,000 houses were damaged or resulting from the Tokyo Electric Power trophe into lessons for the future, Japan, As we mark the 10th anniversary of the destroyed. Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 which has historically been prone to large disaster, we once again extend our apprecia- In response, 163 countries and regions, 43 nuclear power plant meltdowns, e orts natural disasters, has scrutinized the issues tion for the support we received from all international organizations and innumerable toward reconstruction and revitalization have that emerged as the disaster was transpiring around the world. In reciprocation of the private organizations o ered Japan a helping entered full swing. The government will con- and in its aftermath, including in rescue and goodwill extended to us, we will accelerate hand. Rescue teams from around the world tinue to stand on the front line as it responds recovery operations, procurement and trans- our international cooperation in disaster pre- performed lifesaving and irst-aid activities in to outstanding challenges, working to pre- portation of relief supplies, support for the paredness, sharing the knowledge and tech- the wake of the quake. As we commemorate pare a living environment that facilitates the a ected and restoration and reconstruction. nologies Japan has acquired as a result of the the 10th anniversary of the disaster, I, on return of evacuees to their hometowns while Tapping these experiences, it has incorpo- earthquake. Support for tragedy seen in generosity, dedication to charitable eorts
Ten years ago, she port Japanese nonpro it organizations, non- United States. U.S.-Japan Council was in Tokyo leading governmental organizations and programs She developed partnerships with major SPECIAL TO THE JAPAN TIMES USJC’s Japanese dedicated to Tohoku’s aid. Within the USJC corporations so that the Tomodachi Initiative American Leader hip network, many Japanese Americans took on could o er a number of programs, including rene Hirano Inouye dedicated her life to Delegation (JALD), a leadership roles within their local communi- career mentoring for young Japanese major philanthropic and social causes in program that each ties in fundraising and directing contributions women, STEM education, and leadership IAmerica, but perhaps her greatest legacy year organizes a del- from America. USJC’s leaders and board mem- skills for young people with disabilities. It is her role in strengthening the U.S.-Japan rela- egation of Japanese bers visited Japan in subsequent months to would eventually expand beyond the Tohoku tionship, including support for Tohoku’s recov- Americans to engage partner and work with Japanese nonpro it region to bring young Americans to study in ery and an initiative created to bene it young Irene Hirano Inouye with top leaders in organizations on the front lines. Japan, making it a two-way exchange initia- people in the aftermath of the earthquake. KYODO Japan. On March 11, USJC’s Tohoku relief e orts also yielded tive. Inouye believed that empowering the A sansei, she served as the founding CEO the earthquake another one of Inouye’s signature achieve- “Tomodachi generation” was vital to the last- and president of the Japanese American struck. A meeting scheduled between the ments: the Tomodachi Initiative, a public-pri- ing friendship between the two nations. Ten National Museum for 20 years. Her own fami- 2011 JALD delegation and then-Prime Minister vate partnership between USJC and the U.S. years later, more than 9,000 young people ly’s history in America was shaped by the Naoto Kan was canceled and Inouye immedi- Embassy in Tokyo with the support of the have participated in over 300 Tomodachi country’s wartime internment of Japanese ately shifted her attention. Within a day of the Japanese government. The e ort came on Initiative programs. Americans, including her paternal grandfa- tragedy, she was actively exploring ways to the heels of Operation Tomodachi, a joint After Inouye died on April 7, 2020, the ther and her aunts and uncles. In 2009, she support Japan’s devastated Northeast. mission between the U.S. military and Japan’s Japanese government posthumously became the founding president of the U.S.- Inouye would soon launch the USJC Self-Defense Forces to provide humanitarian awarded her the Order of the Rising Sun, Japan Council (USJC), which was established Earthquake Relief Fund for Tohoku’s recovery aid in Tohoku. Inouye worked closely with Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for her endur- with her late husband, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. e orts, raising $350,000 within the irst 24 then-U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos to ing contributions to the U.S.-Japan relation- Inouye, and other prominent Japanese hours of the fund’s establishment. By the end create the Tomodachi Initiative, seeking to ship, including USJC’s support for Tohoku Americans to develop and connect diverse of 2011, the fund grew to more than $2.5 mil- inspire young people in the region through and the next generation of Japanese and leaders in Japan and the United States. lion, with 100% of the donations sent to sup- unique exchange opportunities with the American leaders. B2 | The Japan Times | Thursday, March 11, 2021 NUCLEAR AFTERMATH Fukushima No. 1 cleanup plan only getting tougher
Junko Horiuchi KYODO
he decades-long challenge to scrap the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, T crippled by the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in 2011, is becoming more complex as new probes highlight just how damaged the reac- tors are. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., operator of the six-reactor plant, aims to scrap it between 2041 and 2051. But critics have cast doubt on the schedule, citing not only the extremely high radiation levels, but also problems associated with delayed probes, as well as underdeveloped robotics and other technologies needed to extract close to 900 tons of melted fuel debris esti- mated to exist under the wrecked reactors. Decommissioning of the plant, scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986, is crucial for Japan if it wants to stick to nuclear power and show the world that the crisis is under control. “It is likely that the road map will not be completed as scheduled,” said Tetsuro Tetsuro Tsutsui, a member of the Citizens’ Tsutsui, a member of the Citizens’ Commission on Nuclear Energy, walks in Namie, Commission on Nuclear Energy, a group Fukushima Prefecture, to survey the tsunami-hit area comprising academics and nuclear experts. in February 2014. KYODO He added the “melted debris is mixed with fractured parts of buildings and concrete Of the 33 reactors in Japan, excluding material and is highly radioactive, making it those set to be scrapped, just four are cur- hard for robots to clear the debris.” rently in operation, partly because they need Scrapping the plant involves the daunting to clear stricter safety regulations prompted decision on how to dispose of the subsequent by the Fukushima crisis. radioactive waste. No municipality in Japan Tsutsui, a former petrochemical engineer, has ever o ered to become the inal disposal points to how the risks of the debris extrac- site, even when the plant was operating. tion project have become clearer compared Following the magnitude 9.0 earthquake to when the road map for decommissioning and subsequent tsunami that hit the plant on the plant was irst compiled in December Tokyo Electric Power Co. crews work to clean debris at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant’s No. 3 reactor on March 11, 2011, reactor Nos. 1 to 3 su ered 2011. With that in mind, he urged the govern- Sept. 4, 2015. KYODO meltdowns, leading to massive hydrogen ment to act responsibly and review the road explosions in the buildings housing reactors map. and small internal probes using remote cam- process at the No. 2 reactor because that is 1, 3 and 4. “Nearly 10 years have passed following the eras, data on the exact location and other where it has the best grasp of the internal Due to the inherent instability of renew- Fukushima accident but with respect to the details of the melted fuel — information cru- conditions. No time frame has been set for able energy, the government projects atomic long decommissioning process, we are still cial for determining the retrieval methods fuel removal at the other two units. power will remain one of Japan’s major hovering around the start line. We have a and technology needed for the mission — In a setback, however, the utility said in power sources, accounting for 20 to 22 per- long journey ahead,” Fukushima Gov. Masao remains scarce. Robot probes conducted at late December that fuel removal at the No. 2 cent of all electricity generated in iscal 2030. Uchibori said in a recent brie ing. reactors 2 and 3 have captured images of unit, which was slated to begin this year, Given the emissions-free aspect of atomic “The most di icult step is the safe and sta- large amounts of material that appear to be would be delayed by at least a year because power, Japan may even push for the further ble retrieval of the debris but we don’t know melted fuel, but similar attempts at reactor 1 the coronavirus pandemic has stalled the use of it as it aims to become carbon neutral what state it is in,” he said. have so far come up short. development in Britain of a robotic arm to be in 2050. Despite the use of computer simulations Tepco has opted to start the fuel-removal used in the extraction process.
The gutted building that housed reactor No. 4 at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant is viewed from the air on March 30, 2011. TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER CO. / KYODO Thursday, March 11, 2021 | The Japan Times | B3 TOHOKU RECOVERY (Sponsored content) Northeast marks 10 years since devastation from 3/11 quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis
en years have passed since the Tohoku Student volunteers and region was rocked by the Great East young artisans work to T Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. convert a vacant home Reconstruction has steadily been in progress into a guest house in in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, the three pre- Ishinomaki, Miyagi fectures that were most a ected by the earth- Prefecture, in June. quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis. People have been rebuilding their devastated towns, reviv- ing their industries, and advocating food safety to combat the spread of harmful rumors. Through interviews with key people in various ields, the progress of reconstruc- tion in the three prefectures and their hopes for the future have come to light.
Iwate: Growth with grace The unprecedented earthquake and tsunami shocked the world, and many reached out to the a ected areas not only from within Japan, but also from abroad to o er assistance. After its entire train line was ravaged by the tsu- nami, the Sanriku Railway was able to resume operations in three years with help from Kuwait and other countries and now serves as a symbol of the area’s recovery. Ichiro Nakamura, representative director and presi- dent of Sanriku Railway Co., expressed his gratitude for the support from across the globe. “I hope people from all over Japan and the world will visit Sanriku, take a ride on the fully rebuilt Sanriku Railway and enjoy what was only when we lost them that we truly enormity of the impact of the nuclear accident airplanes at low cost, gathering information we can o er,” Nakamura said. appreciated the blessings of nature,” oyster and the e orts being made to recover from it. will be much quicker even when a disaster The material damage looks catastrophic, farmer Kiyohiro Goto said. Starting anew, they To combat the reputational damage, Kato occurs in an area where it is di icult to deploy yet the invisible damage caused by rumors invented a method to grow oysters in a Farm Co., in Iwaki, has continued shipping airplanes. This is the place where the dreams can be more harmful. Although consumer shorter time frame in the year, which resulted bags of rice proven to be safe for consump- of scholars and researchers, who aspire to trust is being regained through rigorous radia- in lower costs and improved taste. In tion. Since 2015, very strict radiation safety save people from disasters with robot technol- tion testing, it will take time to recover from Ishinomaki, which su ered the most in the levels have not been exceeded in Fukushima ogy, come together. This dream should not the decline in the number of farmers and the prefecture, local volunteers launched the rice. On the other hand, nearly 4,000 people end just as a dream. We must strive to create a industry as a whole. To achieve a “true recov- Ishinomaki 2.0 project with the aim of creat- are still working to decommission the TEPCO major robotics industry here in Fukushima.” ery,” Yukinori Shitautsubo, who runs a local ing “the world’s most interesting city.” The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. ishery in the town of Hirono, is striving to driving force generated by the creativity of Regular inspection and tests of radioactive People in Tohoku are known for their patience. open up the future of the region for the next the youth has attracted di erent talents and materials in the air and ocean are conducted In the 10 years since the calamity, the recon- generation. “Customers are beginning to connected them to various projects, from a to monitor radiation levels around the plant struction e orts in Iwate, Miyagi and understand and re-evaluate the safety and startup training IT engineers to a design irm and ensure they will not a ect the rest of the Fukushima have exempli ied their indomitable quality of our marine products. We are now renovating vacant houses. In addition, local world. According to one senior executive of spirit written about by the renowned Iwate aiming to develop a ishing industry known to furniture brand Ishinomaki Laboratory Inc. is TEPCO Holdings Co., there are more places poet and writer Kenji Miyazawa (1896 1933) in the world for its quality products.” advocating a do-it-yourself in luenced design where workers can go on plant premises with- his masterpiece “Ame ni mo Makezu” Shiawase Farm in the city of Miyako was ethos, connecting the town to an ever-increas- out protective gear, but it will take 30 years to (“Unbeaten by Rain”). For them, reconstruc- one of the irst local businesses to start radia- ing roster of international designers and pro- completely decommission the reactors. The tion is no longer a goal, but a milestone on the tion testing in the immediate aftermath of the duction partners. Gota Matsumura, represen- Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework aims road to the further development and bright disaster and is now free from the obligation. tative of the Ishinomaki 2.0 project, shared his to develop industries in six key areas as driv- future of the region. Looking over his pasture where animals are vision, “In order to be the world’s most inter- ers for Fukushima’s recovery. These are: For more information on reconstruction peacefully grazing, Representative Director esting city, we need a culture that attracts nuclear decommissioning; robotics and e orts, please visit: https://www.fukko-pr. Chikara Sato is envisioning new possibilities in interesting people and inspires them to carve drones; energy, environment and recycling; reconstruction.go.jp/2021/imagining/index. agriculture, such as farm stays and environ- out the future with their own hands.” Shifting agriculture, forestry and isheries industries; html mentally friendly farming. from a disaster-stricken city to a model city for medical technologies and health care; and regional revitalization, those young forces aerospace. Within the framework, the This article is sponsored by the Miyagi: Bloom in adversity embody the hopes of Ishinomaki. Fukushima Robot Test Field was established Reconstruction Agency, which has Although the ishing port in Kesennuma suf- as a base for the development, demonstration launched a dedicated web portal that fered severe damage from the tsunami, Fukushima: Hope in the hurt and rule-making for ield robots for land, sea provides a variety of content, including marine products around the area were not Fukushima Prefecture experienced an unprec- and air. Some companies use the site to test a online symposiums, to express its a ected by radioactive materials. With nation- edented combined disaster: earthquake, tsu- newly developed lying car that can support gratitude for the support Japan has wide support, such as the dispatch of isher- nami and nuclear crisis. To prevent this kind of manned light, while other companies test received from all over the world and men, and strong solidarity in the local commu- tragedy from happening again and to show- drones that can inspect and repair bridges to share the current status and future nity, they managed to maintain their position case reconstruction e orts, the prefecture with the help of arti icial intelligence. Terra prospects for the disaster-stricken as Japan’s largest producer of fresh bonito. built the Great East Japan Earthquake and Laboratory Co., which recently moved to the areas. This will also help in promoting The oyster farming industry, which was once Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum, a facility area from another prefecture, is a beacon of reconstruction and the lessons learned in danger, is now producing better oysters to pass on the records and memories of the hope for the local industry that is promoting from those experiences to prepare for than before, as the disaster provided an disaster to future generations. Through exhi- research and development of long-range future disasters. For more information, opportunity to rethink conventional produc- bitions showing the transition of the number unmanned aerial vehicles for use during disas- please access the website below. tion methods. “Our farm used to be over- of tourists before and after the disaster and ters. The company’s CEO Takahide Matsuura crowded, which reduced our productivity. It radiation tests for rice, visitors can grasp the said: “By introducing long-range unmanned Web portal commemorating ten years since the Great East Japan Earthquake URL: https://www.reconstruction.go.jp/ 10year/en/index.html
URL: https://www.reconstruction.go.jp/ 10year/en/online-symposium/
Takahide Matsuura, CEO of Terra Laboratory Co., tests a long-range drone at the Messages of appreciation in Arabic, English and Japanese adorn the new train Fukushima Robot Test Field in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, in November. cars of Sanriku Railway. B4 | The Japan Times | Thursday, March 11, 2021 3/11 AFTERMATH Scenes in northeastern Japan 10 years aer 3/11
Various new parks, monuments and sites KYODO memorializing the disasters have also been built, such as Minamisanriku Memorial Park decade has passed since a record of Earthquake Disaster, which fully opened in earthquake, devastating tsunami and the town of Minamisanriku in October in Athe world’s worst nuclear disaster Miyagi Prefecture. since Chernobyl in 1986 struck Tohoku on A photo also shows the ongoing construc- March 11, 2011, causing extensive damage in tion of a memorial park in the city of Fu-kushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures. Kesennuma, another hard-hit area, set to open Kyodo photographers’ visits to disaster-hit in March, while an aerial photo shows the area coastal areas show how they have been where the so-called miracle pine tree stood, transformed by local municipalities since the lone tsunami survivor of the many pine 2011, when piles of debris lay around. Photos, trees in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. both aerial and on the ground, show the The quake and tsunami disasters also trig- changes in the landscape from 2011 to now. gered the accident at the six-reactor At 2:46 p.m. that day, a 9.0 magnitude Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant that earthquake struck northeast-ern Japan, trig- caused melt-downs in three of the reactors, gering tsunami waves exceeding 10 meters releasing radioactive materials. The disaster that hit ar-eas on the Paci ic coast and in licted had a severity level rated at the maximum of damage on cities, towns and vil-lages. 7 on an inter-national scale, on a par with the The 2011 tragedy killed 15,899 people, with 1986 Chernobyl accident. 2,526 people listed as missing. Authorities At one point, around 160,000 people were have been cleaning up the wreckage since evacuated as neighboring towns and areas then, and there are signs of recovery with around the plant became no-go zones. roads rebuilt and railway ser-vices resuming In some areas of Fukushima Prefecture operation. residents are still unable to return to their Huge seawalls now seem to cover the homes. Some photos taken by Kyodo News scars left by the tsunami, while in some areas, showed decaying buildings and furniture, as one can see a mix of newly reconstructed if time was frozen. Houses remain submerged (top) in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 29, 2011. Ten years later, the city centers and vacant lots. Around 42,000 people remain evacuees. houses have been cleared away and a breakwater (bottom) protects the area. KYODO
Top: The gutted disaster control center of Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, where 43 people were washed away by tsunami, is shown on April 4, 2011. Bottom: The remains now stand in stark contrast to its surroundings following debris removal and will be maintained and managed by the prefecture until 2031 as part of Minamisanriku Memorial Park of Earthquake Disaster, which opened in October. KYODO
Top: Tsunami-ravaged Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11, 2011. The land has since been raised to fend o tsunami and the area remains vacant. KYODO
The Hamayuri sightseeing boat (top) sits on the roof of a guesthouse in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on April 1, 2011, three weeks after being washed ashore by the tsunami disaster. After a project to build a monument there failed, wreckers Left: The remnants of the tsunami-devastated Okawa Elementary School stand in Ishinomaki, Miyagi began to demolish the Prefecture, on March 23, 2011. Right: A decade later, the structure of the now-defunct school, shown on Feb. 14, inn (below) onn Feb. 1. awaits preservation as a reminder of the 74 students and 10 school o icials who lost their lives. KYODO KYODO Thursday, March 11, 2021 | The Japan Times | B5 3/11 AFTERMATH
The buildings for reactors 1, 2, 3 and 4 at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant are shown in Fukushima Prefecture on March 17, 2011 (top), and on Feb. 14 with hundreds of tanks in the background holding contaminated cooling water awaiting disposal. KYODO
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is shown on March 20, 2011 (left) and on Feb. 14 this year. KYODO
Top: Tsunami overwhelm the breakwater in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on March 11, 2011. Bottom: Construction of a replacement breakwater commenced on Feb. 25. KYODO
Top: Tsunami debris blocks the Sanriku Railway near Horei Station in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, on March 13, 2011. Bottom: A train rolls along the rebuilt tracks in the same area on Jan. 29. Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School and Unosumai Elementary School, are shown on March 22, 2011, in the wake of the tsunami in SANRIKU RAILWAY / Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture. Kamaishi Unosumai Memorial Stadium (bottom, shown in December) was built in their place and shown in the KYODO bottom photo taken last December, was built where the schools were and hosted a Rugby World Cup game in 2019. KYODO B6 | The Japan Times | Thursday, March 11, 2021 MICHINOKU FUTURE FUND
Rohto Pharmaceutical Helping Tohoku’s youth aim higher Chairman and CEO Kunio Yamada (center) the fund’s o ice from 2015 to 2017. “When the joins hands with then- Hiroshi Ikezawa 3/11 disaster happened, Yamada wanted to Kagome Chairman Koji STAFF WRITER support children who would be the center of Kioka (left) and then- the recovery e ort in the future.’’ Calbee Chairman and he Great East Japan Earthquake on Rohto built a support team in March 2011 CEO Akira Matsumoto, March 11, 2011, caused the deaths of to research the needs of the disaster-hit areas at a news conference 15,899 people and left 2,529 unac- in Tohoku. Then they determined that sup- to announce the T establishment of the counted for, mostly in Miyagi, Iwate and porting children inancially and helping them Fukushima prefectures in the Tohoku region. advance to university or vocational school Michinoku Future Fund It also left 1,756 children without a father after high school was the most signi icant in September 2011. or mother, or both, according to a 2015 thing they could do as a private company. ROHTO PHARMACEUTICAL report by the Health, Labor and Welfare The Michinoku Future Fund is designed to CO. Ministry. provide up to ¥3 million per year of the chil- In response, Rohto Pharmaceutical Co. dren’s university fees. The fund also supports teamed up with Kagome Co. and Calbee Inc. children who had not yet been born at the as well as 16,000 individuals. This is enough nies to join our fund. Establishing that plan is to establish the Michinoku Future Fund, time of the quake, meaning the fund’s sup- to surpass the estimated ¥4.4 billion needed one of the successes of the past 10 years. which supports those children inancially so port will cover a span of about 25 years from to support the Tohoku children for 25 years. “The children we have supported had they can move on to attain higher education 2011 until all eligible children graduate from The fund stopped accepting donations on clear memories of the disaster, but among after graduating from high school. their chosen institutions. Those students who Feb. 20. those who we’ll support in the next 25 years, “Our company is based in Osaka and expe- receive the support do not have to pay the ‘‘It is so crucial that the inancial support some don’t remember the quake much or rienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake money back. not get interrupted (during the 25-year span),” don’t remember even their parents’ faces,’’ (in 1995). At that time, our Chairman, Kunio The fund was helping 901 children as of said Shibata’s colleague Shintaro Fujita, who Fujita added. “We want them to enjoy nor- Yamada, felt so sad to see a lot of kids choose December, and an estimated 500 more will helped establish the fund in 2011. “The coop- mal school life without any inancial con- not to return to the damaged area even after receive it in the next 15 years. eration by multiple companies was neces- cerns. Our support does not need to stand the recovery,’’ said Haruna Shibata of Rohto’s By Sept. 30 last year, the fund had gath- sary so the support would not be a ected by out. We just would like them to grow up as Public Relations and Creating Shared Value ered about ¥4.8 billion for the fund from a company’s inancial performance. We’re well as those who still have parents to take Division, who was temporarily transferred to about 3,200 companies and organizations, happy that we have gotten so many compa- care of them.’’
We offer our support and solidarity to We offer our support and solidarity to those in disaster-stricken areas those in disaster-stricken areas Embassy of the Republic of Benin
Minako Suematsu Chairperson and Publisher H.E. Makarimi Abissola Adechoubou Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
We offer our support and solidarity to We offer our support and solidarity to those in disaster-stricken areas those in disaster-stricken areas Embassy of the Federal Embassy of Democratic Republic of Ethiopia the Republic of Indonesia
H.E. Kassa T. Gebrehiwet Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary H.E. Heri Akhmadi Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
We offer our support and solidarity to We offer our support and solidarity to those in disaster-stricken areas those in disaster-stricken areas
Embassy of Embassy of Spain the Republic of Maldives
H.E. Ibrahim Uvais Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary H.E. Jorge Toledo Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Delegation of Embassy of the European Union the Republic of Haiti to Japan
The Great East Japan On behalf of Haiti, I extend Earthquake caused tragedy my sincerest sympathies to and loss of lives. Honoring those affected by the March the victims, the European 11, 2011, tragedy. Union stands by the people of May Japanese people's Japan in continuing support resilience be a source of of a green, inclusive recovery. H.E. Patricia Flor inspiration for my country. H.E. Helph Monod Honorat Ambassador Extraordinary and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Plenipotentiary Thursday, March 11, 2021 | The Japan Times | B7 SOLIDARITY (Sponsored content) Ten years of concerts help enhance circle of support
y producing high-quality timepieces that have been closely linked with B people’s lives, the Seiko Holdings Group has shared time with people, in sorrow and in joy, throughout its history. Commemorating 10 years since the trag- edy, Seiko will organize a special concert at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo on March 11 to bring together those a ected by the disas- ters and those who have o ered support for reconstruction, including pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii. Looking back, when the disasters hit the Tohoku region in 2011, Seiko was about to mark its 130th year in business. The company canceled all scheduled events to celebrate Left: Due to the the milestone anniversary. Instead, in the coronavirus pandemic, a immediate aftermath of the earthquake and “Sound of ‘Wa’ Concert to tsunami, it conducted a series of activities Support Eastern Japan” called the Seiko 130 Actions, which included was held in Tokyo on Oct. fundraising, sending relief goods, cleaning of 5 without an audience the tsunami-damaged photos and helping and livestreamed for with decontamination work, to facilitate the free. Below: Pianist recovery. In three years, the number of sup- Nobuyuki Tsujii will join port activities climbed to 138. the March 11 concert in As part of the Seiko 130 Actions, the com- Tokyo. SEIKO HOLDINGS pany supported two charity concerts led by GROUP; YUJI HORI the late jazz pianist Norio Maeda in August 2011 in Fukushima and Iwate prefectures to fectures, for 36 concerts so far. The Wa con- around Japan. These will be screened at show solidarity with those a ected by o er- cert in Tokyo provides an opportunity for Budokan hall as part of a live performance ing emotional support through music, rather those who moved from Tohoku to Tokyo to during the concert. than material assistance. o er their prayers, as well as for supporters The screening at Budokan hall also pres- Seiko Holdings Group CEO and Chief in Tokyo to show their solidarity with every- ents messages from around Japan to support Culture O icer Shinji Hattori, who attended one who was a ected. the reconstruction toward the future. both concerts, was moved by Maeda’s perfor- Although it may be not easy to prevent the Also, the concert will play a new song mances on the tsunami-hit piano that lost memories of the disasters from fading, Seiko that was composed in collaboration with some of its tune. Hattori realized that it is the believes in the importance of continuing to local students. When one of the wa con- power of music that moves and unites peo- support reconstruction e orts. certs was held in Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture, ple’s hearts, and became more determined to As part of such e orts, Seiko has collected in 2018, the students of Tagajo Junior High have the company further extend such activi- message from both victims and supporters School were actively involved in the event, ties to assist reconstruction. from around Japan in the form of lags, head- which paved the way to writing the lyrics to To broaden the scope of its support, Seiko bands or cards. Among them was a message a melody composed by Seiko CEO Hattori. established an executive committee headed from Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki, who lost their Thanks to the participation of all 400 stu- by Hattori to organize a string of events beloved children in the disasters and dents at the school, as well as help from under the “Sound of ‘Wa’ Concert to Support attended the 2019 concert in Matsushima, popular lyricist Yoko Aki, this project bore Eastern Japan” in September 2013, resulting Miyagi Prefecture. The couple were moved to fruit. Japanese vocal group Circus and vol- in six concerts in the a ected areas in Tohoku tears by the concert and wrote down their unteers from Seiko will sing “Hope and region. feelings on a card. Bonds” onstage. The Japanese word wa in the title has vari- Every year in early March, those emotional Out of respect for concert originator ous meanings ranging from circles and har- messages are presented in a display window Maeda, who died in 2018, composer Akira mony to things Japanese: a circle of support at the Wako specialty store, part of the Seiko Miyagawa supervises the program that fea- for reconstruction activities, a circle of hands Holdings Group and a landmark building that tures musicians, including Circus, Australian joining those who su ered in the disasters faces the main intersection of Tokyo’s Ginza vocalist and violinist Sarah Alainn, Japanese with their supporters, a circle of hope for the shopping district. singers Machiko Watanabe, Junko Ohashi people as possible with the power of music. future, a spirit of harmony that fosters the From 2012, Wako tolled the bells of the and Sara Kobayashi, and saxophonist Kohei Sharing such feelings in common, it’s my togetherness of those working for recon- building’s clock tower every March 11 at 2:46 Ueno. honor to take part in the upcoming concert,” struction and a spirit of vibrant Japan. The p.m., the exact time the Great East Japan In addition to performers from past Wa Tsujii said. “I hope that my performance will Wa concerts embrace such spirits and Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011, to concerts, pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii will join for touch the audience.” express a strong wish to develop bonds o er prayers of repose for the souls of those the irst time. As the corporate slogan “Moving ahead. among people. lost in the disasters and to give people hope Born blind, Tsujii has exceptional musical Touching hearts” demonstrates, Seiko is Originally, the concert was organized as an for the future. talent and has actively performed internation- determined to touch and unite people’s occasion for supporters, including artists, to In addition, a large clock, which is in a ally, including his irst performance at New hearts with the power of music and further show their support for disaster victims. Wako display window and points to 2:46, York’s Carnegie Hall in 2011. enhance their sense of hope for the times to Before long, the concerts developed into starts moving today, after this year’s tolling. Tsujii has been sending hearty cheers to the come. stages for the victims themselves to express Located in the heart of Tokyo, Nippon people of Tohoku both through his moving their hopes for progress with reconstruction. Budokan Hall, where the upcoming Wa con- performances and the touching composition “The Sound of ‘Wa’ Concert to From local elementary schools to junior high cert will take place, has been the scene of “Soredemo Ikite Iku” (“Nevertheless I live on”.) Support Eastern Japan 2021 in Nippon and high schools, many students who are many emotional moments, serving as a sym- “I struggled with a sense of powerlessness Budokan” will take place at Nippon members of their choirs and wind ensembles bol of hope in Japan. in the aftermath, asking myself what I could Budokan Hall on March 11 at 5:30 are showing a willingness to join the concert. One of the highlights of the 10th anniver- do and what could be done by music,” Tsujii p.m. Due to COVID-19, the concert will In March 2014, a Wa concert was held in sary concert is a choir project that brings said in a recent interview. take place without an Tokyo for the irst time to enlarge the circle of together videos of the renowned song “Ue o Nevertheless, he believes that music has audience and will be support nationwide. Muite Aruko” (“I look up as I walk”), also the power to heal grief and ill people with livestreamed for free Since then, Seiko has been organizing the known as “Sukiyaki.” By mid-February, the courage. at www.seiko.co.jp/ annual Wa concert in Tokyo, in addition to committee received over 100 videos “For 10 years since the tragedy, I’ve been sports_music/music/wa/ concerts in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima pre- recorded by groups and individuals from performing so that I can stand by as many concert2021 .
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Tokyo Left: Iterations of “Sound of ‘Wa’ Concerts to Support Eastern Japan” have taken place across a wide area. Above left: Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki, who lost their beloved children in the disasters, attended a “Sound of ‘Wa’ Concert to Support Eastern Japan” in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, in September 2019. Above right: Displayed in a window at the Wako specialty store in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district, a large clock that reads 2:46, the exact time the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011, SEIKO / JT GRAPHIC starts moving today. SEIKO HOLDINGS GROUP B8 | The Japan Times | Thursday, March 11, 2021