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‘13 jald JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION SPONSORED BY J A P A N M I N I S T R Y OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN COORDINATION WITH U.S.-JAPAN COUNCIL JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION SPONSORED BY JAPAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN COORDINATION WITH U.S.-JAPAN COUNCIL jald JALD MARCH 2013 MARCH 2013 JALD I N M E M O R Y The 2013 JALD dedicates this report to the memory of the Honorable Senator Daniel K. Inouye who, dur- ing an exemplary career as a Japa- nese American statesman, worked tirelessly to maintain and improve the excellent relationship between America and Japan. — We are grateful to the Ministry of For- eign Affairs of Japan for this once-in- a-lifetime opportunity. Similarly, we are humbled by Irene Hirano Inouye and the U.S.-Japan Council and their invaluable work. We dedicate our- selves to implementing the lessons learned to strengthen the friendship between two of the greatest countries in the world. 4 JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION 5 MARCH 2013 JALD JANIC Fukushima Office – Fukushima NGO Cooperative Space With much anticipation, we arrived in Tokyo on Saturday, March 9, 2013. After spending one night at the beautiful Hotel New Otani, we departed by train to Fukushima. on March 11, 2011, the tsunami nates several NGOs in Japan, including ParticiPants: left over 18,000 people missing or the over 50 organizations that have come Toshiyuki Takeuchi, dead, and 370,000 houses destroyed in to Fukushima to assist the region. In Fu- Director of JANIC Fu- kushima Office;Emiko Fukushima. The Triple Disaster (Great kushima, JANIC has an “NGO Collabora- Fujioka, information tion Space” for community groups work- Eastern Earthquake, tsunami, and Fu- Officer of JANIC Fuku- kushima nuclear power plant accident) ing in the area. JANIC also has set up a shima Office; Hiroyuki caused unimaginable devastation to the website at www.fukushimaontheglobe. Yoshino of the World area. This loss of human life and prop- com to disseminate information about network for saving children from radiation erty were a great tragedy that brought Fukushima after the Nuclear Accident. sympathy from the entire world, espe- While the world has contributed funds cially Japanese Americans. and efforts to help the region, JANIC’s Fukushima Director emphasized that JALD’s first meeting was in Fukushima this work is long term, and that there is at the office of Japan NGO Center for risk that people outside the area will lose International Cooperation (“JANIC”). interest. The Delegation also heard from We were welcomed by the director of the World Network for Saving Children the NGO, Toshiyuki Takeuchi, who from Radiation, which seeks to protect reported to us that since the Tsunami, the approximately 300,000 children in JANIC has focused their work in Japan the area. in the Tohoku area. JANIC is a non- profit networking NGO which coordi- JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION 7 JALD MARCH 2013 MARCH 2013 JALD whose roots included Japanese, Filipino, CGP Symposium: “Towards Common German, French, Spanish, African Ameri- Ground: Connecting Diverse Voices for the can, and Native American ancestry. He Future.” spoke of his background in clean technol- ogy, as well as his more recent ventures in the area of social entrepreneurship. He ended with observations about Genera- tion Y who look to make a difference in the world, and are uniquely situated to p h oto become the HERO generation. The next speaker was program mod- erator David Slater of Sophia Univer- sity. He introduced the audience to his Tohoku Voices Project, a post-3/11 oral narrative project that gives voice the symposium was The Japan Founda T i o n ’ s c e n T e r Japanese American Leadership Delega- to those most affected by the triple co-organized by the for Global Partnership hosted a sympo- tion, and the Tomodachi Initiative. disasters of earthquake, tsunami, and Us-Japan council, sium in Fukushima titled: “Towards Com- and the Fukushima Emily Murase followed with a talk titled radiation. The interviews revealed a Future center for mon Ground: Connecting Diverse Voices “Home, Community, Change: What will great deal of resilience and hope in those p h oto regional revitaliza- for the Future.” The symposium was held your adventure be.” Her talk explored who lost so much. The final speaker was tion, Fukushima on the eve of the 3/11 anniversary and was her Japanese American origins, and then Professor Mitsuo Yamakawa, Director of University. support well attended by a diverse audience of explored the notion of Community and Fukushima Future Center for Regional for the symposium was provided by the students, local residents, public officials, the shared culture that brings us together Revitalization (FURE) of Fukushima Ministry for Foreign and members of the press. The sympo- and provides us with a sense of Common University. He spoke of his involvement affairs, Fukushima sium featured a video describing the Japa- Ground. Marion Friebus-Flaman fol- in the recovery process, of the 62,808 Prefecture, Us nese American experience in the United lowed with “Building Common Ground.” displaced citizens who want to return Embassy, tokyo, Fu- States, including the founding of the She began with an exploration of her to their homes, and of the triumph of Art of Gaman (Art from kushima international Japanese American National Museum, as association, and nHK family roots in Fukushima and her early “human spirit over data.” He empha- the Japanese American Fukushima. well as a brief video describing the Art of childhood experiences as a Japanese sized the need to engage local citizens Gaman Exhibit that showcased art objects Internment Camps dur- American living in Japan. She then de- in reconstruction and noted that 270 vol- p h oto created by Japanese Americans who were scribed Dooley Elementary School, a dual unteers provided assistance in develop- ing World War II) imprisoned in the U.S. Internment Camps language school in Schaumburg, IL, that ing a radiation map of Fukushima. during World War II. teaches English to Japanese students and Overall, the symposium was successful The Delegation had the privilege of viewing Japanese to English speaking students in in bringing together ideas for the future Delphine Hirasuna’s Art of Gaman exhibit Opening remarks for the symposium were a blended classroom. The result is bilin- of Fukushima, in giving voice to the while in Fukushima. On the way to the ex- provided by Mr. Eiji Taguchi, Executive gual and bicultural competence and true people of Fukushima, and in engaging hibit, the Delegation walked past a craft fair Vice President of the Japan Foundation, common ground. The final JALD Del- Japanese and Americans in a construc- on the first floor of the exhibition center. The and Mr. Fumio Murata, Vice Governor of egate to speak was Kelly Ogilvie, whose tive and optimistic dialogue for recon- delegates were struck by the similarities be- Fukushima Prefecture. Irene Hirano In- talk was titled, “Social Entrepreneurship struction and recovery. tween the art produced by Japanese Ameri- ouye then provided a brief introduction, and the Hero Generation.” Kelly spoke cans in the camps and the work produced by describing the US-Japan Council, the of being a Yonsei and of a family member people who had been displaced by the triple disaster and were living in the temporary housing facilities. 8 JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION JAPANESE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DELEGATION 9 JALD MARCH 2013 MARCH 2013 JALD Fukushima Prefectural Medical University The Japanese American Leadership Delegation met with the leadership team of the Fukushima Medical University. After a brief review of the three disasters of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the tsunami, and the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station acci- dents, the speakers provided an overview of the concept of the proposed Fu- kushima Global Medical Science Center, the disaster response at Fukushima Medical University, and the Fukushima Health Management Survey. T h e p r e s e n T e r s p r o v i d e d and excessive alcohol consumption. The a detailed timeline describing the impact presenters elaborated on the mental health of the triple disasters on evacuees with issues that are secondary to forced evacua- respect to radiation exposure, displace- tion and the uncertainty of what lies ahead. ment and temporary living situations, and They emphasized a need for more counsel- mental and physical health. They described ing and mental health services. how Fukushima Medical University has provided medical care for disaster victims, The presenters emphasized how they saw served as a secondary radiation emergency it as their personal responsibility to pro- care facility, and provided a base for the mote and protect the health of Fukushima Fukushima Health Management Survey. residents, and that they recognize they play They stated that because of the disaster, an important role in rebuilding the region. they now possessed a wealth of first-hand To that end, they stated that the Fukushima experience relating to radiation, decon- Global Medical Science Center seeks to tamination, thyroid cancer screening in create partnerships at the local, national, of Japanese Americans. residents regarding their health and safe- children, and of physical issues related to and international levels to establish cutting The JALD expressed appreciation for the ty. We promised to continue to support radiation exposure. edge medical treatment facilities, foster opportunity to learn more about the cur- the Fukushima region by reporting on globally-oriented medical professional, and rent status of public health in Fukushima, Fukushima’s recovery efforts upon return Some of the most concerning results from promote the medical industry to rebuild and expressed great sympathy for the home to our respective communities.

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