Recovery's Long Road: Fukushima Four Years After The Great East Japan Earthquake

Seeds of Hope: Fukushima rice recently passed radiation tests for the first time since the disasters. Image via the Fukushima Organic Agriculture Network/JERF.

The 4th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami has arrived, and the effects of the widespread destruction at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant are still being felt today.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), the company that owns the now-defunct plant, is still trying to persuade local governments to allow the restart of some of its other reactors, which would significantly improve its financial situation, as it still owes more than ¥5 trillion in damages, in addition to the cost of decommissioning the plants affected by the disaster.

To make matters worse, Tepco president Naomi Hirose announced a month ago that it would not be able to meet its self-imposed deadline to decontaminate water tainted by radioactivity by the end of March, which was then followed by the news that it had found a new source of radiation leakage into the sea.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the public is largely opposed to the restart of the reactors. Back in 2010, Japan had plans to make nuclear power at least 50 percent of its total energy by 2030, but a year ago, according to an Asahi poll, 59 percent of Japanese respondents opposed the restart of nuclear power plants, making it highly unlikely that we’ll be seeing an increase in Japanese nuclear power plant activity anytime soon.

Even now, around 120,000 Fukushima residents remain evacuees, and a government survey of 16,600 households in fiscal 2014 found that 48 percent of these evacuees aren’t planning on coming back. Concerns about radiation and slow reconstruction efforts are keeping them away, and the temporary housing situation isn’t giving them much confidence either.

Another problem that towns in the Tohoku region face is population decline. A majority of the evacuees who do decide to return are senior citizens, and according to surveys, only 3 percent of those in their 30s and 40s plan to go back to the towns they were forced to leave behind in the wake of the disaster.

More than 89,000 of the evacuees live in temporary housing units that were only built to last two years, and plans to create more permanent accommodations are not on track to be completed until fiscal 2017.

But construction is progressing, as more and more projects are reaching completion, such as the Joban Expressway, a highway that opened on March 1 that passes through the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima, close to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Progress is also being made in agriculture, and the food in Fukushima has come a long way since the disaster. While commercial farming is now prohibited in areas that were deemed highly contaminated, a few months ago, rice from Fukushima passed radiation tests for the first time since the tsunami, and South Korea, who had banned imports from Fukushima, is now conducting visits to the power plant in consideration of reopening trade agreements with the region.

Fukushima is even trying to host Olympic baseball in 2020, should it be voted back into the Olympic lineup.

“We are still in the process of recovery from the disaster, and it would be a dream to have world-class athletes play here,” said Fukushima city official Hiroaki Kuwajima, according to Agence France-Presse.

Recovery efforts still have a long way to go, with many problems ahead, but the state of the Tohoku region is steadily improving. While things may never be the same in Fukushima, many of the people affected by the disaster are on a long, but promising, road to recovery.

--Mark Gallucci

Bases Covered: MLB Player's Long-Term Support of Japan Earthquake Recovery

Presenters at the Nov. 15 MLB press conference to spotlight earthquake recovery.

It’s the Japan All-Star Series, an annual goodwill competition between America’s and Japan’s best baseball players, and the Americans are down 2-0. Game 3 at the Tokyo Dome is a must-win for the MLB All-Stars, who will need to win three in a row to emerge victorious in the best-of-five series.

Yet on November 15, the day of the game, twelve of the MLB players were not on the field warming up, but packed into a small room with representatives from Japan Society and the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Among the players present were Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, and Astros outfielder Dexter Fowler.

Also present were the people they were there to meet: representatives from organizations that the Players Trust supports through Japan Society’s Japan Earthquake Recovery Fund (JERF), created to aid victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which devastated Japan’s Tohoku region on March 11, 2011.

The Players Trust, which allocated $1 million in support following the earthquake, began a multi-year partnership with Japan Society in 2012, working with JERF on five recovery projects.

"We as players are very fortunate, and always very excited, to use the help of the Players Trust to make an impact on the world," Guthrie said at the press conference. "The slogan that we have is, 'Care. Act. Inspire.' Working with Japan Society has allowed us to be able to do this on an international level."

Chris Capuano and his wife enjoy a meal at Organ Dou. Via. 

Prior to the event, Guthrie, Pirates pitcher Mark Melancon, and free agent Chris Capuano, who is considering a move to Japan, visited Fukushima Organ Dou, a store set up by the Fukushima Organic Agriculture Network, to enjoy some of the farmers’ produce. Thanks to the support they received through JERF, the farmers were able to afford machines that thoroughly test their produce for significant levels of radiation, ensuring their customers that their food is safe to eat. Capuano said:

We're here today because as players, we're very happy to be able to support Fukushima. The area was hard hit by a tsunami back on March 11 of 2011, and there’s still a great need of recovery. A lot of these farmers in Fukushima need our help today. They need our support in showing that they've come a long way. The produce is safe and delicious to eat, and we're happy to be able to still support them.

As of September 3, 2014, JERF has received $13.89 million from over 23,600 individuals, companies and foundations from all 50 states and nearly 60 countries around the world. To date, it has distributed $13.6 million to 43 organizations in support of 64 projects. 

In addition to the Fukushima Organic Agriculture Network, the Players Trust through JERF also supports Ashoka Japan’s Tohoku Youth Venture program, which grants seed money to high-school and college students who devise viable creative and innovative ideas for revitalizing the Tohoku region; two mental-health care projects with the Japanese Medical Society that provide services and training in Fukushima and Iwate Prefectures; and a leadership development project led by Japan Society and ETIC that promotes entrepreneurship towards self-sustaining economic and community revitalization in Tohoku.

These and all  projects supported by JERF give a much-needed boost to Japan’s recovery in the wake of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters, which, according to the National Police Agency of Japan, left nearly 16,000 dead, more than 6,000 injured, and thousands still considered missing.  It also took a massive toll on buildings, with more than 120,000 totally destroyed. Today, nearly four years after the tragic events, more than 93,000 people are living in temporary housing, with construction plans facing delays.

The immediate concern has shifted from cleanup to reconstruction, as reviving the economies of the small towns hit hardest by the earthquake is a major priority. Since farming is a major part of Japan’s small-town economies, that means bringing in soil from other areas to cover ground rendered infertile by seawater– a process costing upwards of $90 million.

Though debris has been cleared, seawalls are being constructed, and in many highly populated areas a sense of normalcy has returned, the recovery process is far from over. In an interview with Reuters , Japan Society president Motoatsu Sakurai said, "it is very, very evident in Japan this recovery process will continue for more than 10 years."

And because it’s such a lengthy process, it needs all the attention it can get, as Players Trust director Melissa Persaud alluded to at the press conference.

"The players take a long-term approach to their disaster-relief support," Persaud said. "They have learned that too often, after the initial media spotlight fades on a region or people devastated by a disaster, the support fades as well. Yet the needs remain for quite some time."

--Mark Gallucci

Top photo courtesy of MLB. First Row (left to right): Akihiro Asami, Fukushima Organic Agriculture Network; Yoshiaki Ishikawa, ETIC; Shinichi Niwa, Kokoro no Care, Nagomi; Hiroshi Yamanaka, Kokorogake; Akiko Ito, Kokorogake; Toshikazu Abe; Mina Sato, Tohoku Youth Venturer; Nana Watanabe, Ashoka Japan. Second Row: Drew Butera, LA Dodgers; Jeremy Gutherie, KC Royals; Rob Wooten, Brewers; Chris Capuano, NY Yankees; Dexter Fowler, Houston Astros; Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle Mariners; Salvador Perez, KC Royals; Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays; Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates; Tsuyoshi Wada, Chicago Cubs; Jerry Blevins, Washington Nationals; Jeff Beliveau, Tampa Bay Rays; Shoko Takamatsu, Fukushima Organic Agriculture Network; Koji Yamauchi, ETIC.

Hope, Hard Work And Helping Hands Aid Ongoing Tohoku Recovery

Fisherman from a devastated village take to the seas again thanks to newly purchased machinery. In a small town that lost ten percent of its population, folks now have professionals to help them overcome the trauma. A Fukushima mother cries as she realizes her children are able to play outdoors safely at an away camp.

In June Japan Society premiered a moving short video highlighting three of 19 organizations so far supported by the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund (JERF). JEN, an international humanitarian relief and development organization, is working in fishing towns in Miyagi prefecture to help fishermen restore their local economy. In Otsuchi, Japanese Medical Society of America’s KOKOROGAKE program has medical professionals working for long term care for survivors’ mental health. And in Fukushima prefecture, Fukushima Kids provides children with an escape to Hokkaido for the summer.

Although the organizations are working towards very different goals, the video shows a common glimmer of hope between all of them.



The fishermen in Miyagi prefecture were once part of a vibrant fishery-centered economy. The tsunami wiped that out completely. Tatsuya Sugiura, a volunteer at JEN after losing his business partner in the disaster, says, "After the disaster, fishermen were at a loss. They didn’t know what to do. They were probably looking at the sea every day. With JERF we can provide support; the fishermen could focus on becoming positive and self-reliant again."

The refocusing is paying off. The local fishermen built a hut out of the debris from their own home, which now houses a much-needed winch provided by JEN. Hidenori Hiratsuka, one of the fisherman, says, "if we get too nervous, we can’t remain fishermen, and there won’t be a recovery if we don’t go out fishing. I am trying to focus on fishing."

He then reflects on the help from JERF: "I thought no one would help a small port like ours. In the beginning, we had no help. I wondered why no one was helping us. Then we got help; we were so grateful. It makes me cry to think of that time… I have to do my best."

In Otsuchi, a small area in the Iwate prefecture with 10% of the population either missing or dead, many people suffer from extreme post-traumatic stress. "It’s been difficult to reach out to people who have lost their homes, jobs and family members. People are suffering; some of them want to disappear, some are suicidal" says Akiko Ito, a member of Team KOKOROGAKE.

Even before the disaster, there was no mental healthcare facility in the area. Iwate prefecture established one a year after the disaster. Team KOKOROGAKE plans to remain in the area for the long term. "Even if buildings are rebuilt, goods are available and people have jobs, if people are suffering inside, it’s not real recovery," continues Ito. "Mental healthcare issues can’t be solved overnight; we started to work on this issue a year after the disaster, but it can take 5, 10, 20 years for people to recover."

The members of the team are hoping to work on not only helping people’s mental health, but also building enough trust so that the people will come to them when they need help even after the town is rebuilt. They try to be a part of the community, living in temporary housing alongside the area’s survivors and working with them in their homes. "We are medical professionals who don’t think services should be limited to the inside of a clinic. We need to be a part of the community and listen to the people about their loss and the pain caused by it," says Mitsuru Suzuki the leader of Team KOKOROGAKE.

Fukushima Kids is an organization which brings over 200 kids from Fukushima  to a camp in Hokkaido where they can escape the threat of possible radiation exposure. “During [the long breaks], we wanted kids to smile and be healthy,” explains Toru Shinshi, chairperson of the effort, “That’s why we started Fukushima Kids.”

A mother of two young girls who were able to go to Hokkaido explains how this works beyond providing an escape: "When I first saw a video of children running outside, I was taken aback. For several months... I didn’t see any kids playing outside-picking flowers, putting their hands in the river." Funding from JERF is making it possible to sponsor even more children to experience somewhere safe, and in turn, help their parents and families be more optimistic.

More Than 10 Years To Rebuild 

It’s been over 15 months since the devastating triple disasters struck Japan's Tohoku region. As of April this year, 15,857 people are confirmed dead while 3,057 are still missing. The survivors who remain in the area are still suffering: they live in the place they once called home, but in temporary housing surrounded by the nightmares of loss and destruction.

Hiroyuki Koroge, the head of office of JEN says, “I think it will take more than 10 years to rebuild it how it was before the disaster.” He refers to Ishinomaki in his statement, but this is true of all areas affected by the disasters. Japan estimates that it could take upwards of 23 trillion yen ($289 billion) to completely clear the rubble and rebuild homes, cities, jobs and lives.

In the next few weeks, Japan Society will announce the fifth wave of JERF grants. While this is only a fraction of what Japan needs, every bit helps edge Tohoku's people that much closer to a new life as the Society's video so poignantly shows. 

--Sarah Anderson

Resilience In The Lost Decade: Recovery In Tohoku

From Memory: Things We Should Never Forget. Photo courtesy of Nikkei Inc.

When Japan Society education director Rob Fish was putting together events in recognition of the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, one moment stood out for him. During school visits in the Tohoku region in summer 2011, surveying the devastation after months of recovery efforts, principal Sadayoshi Sugiwara from Shizugawa Junior High School told Fish how happy he was to have received so much support from the U.S. and people around the world, but how concerned he was that after a year’s time people would forget.

It's an alarming prospect. In a recent interview about Japan Society's relief work, president Motoatsu Sakurai told Reuters he believes economic recovery and rebuilding “will continue for more than 10 years”, with ongoing work to repair damage, remove mountains of remaining debris, begin rebuilding, and cope with nuclear contamination.

A decade of recovery after Japan’s “lost decade” isn't an exaggeration at this point. Despite incredible efforts to clean up the large amount of debris left by the tsunami, the hard-hit city of Ishinomaki is home to the biggest dumping grounds, further exacerbated by other cities rescinding their offers to take  some of the waste due to fear of contamination. Japan’s Environment Ministry, recently reported that of the “estimated 22.5 million tons of debris in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures… only 1.42 million tons have been disposed of” to date.

The affected areas have seen a rapid decrease in volunteer workers from the peak of 171,800 individuals two months after the disasters to about 11,000 volunteers as of January 2012. Meanwhile, professors and experts from Cornell University cite “serious political problems” that may prevent a speedy recovery.

The nuclear meltdown in Fukushima has been a constant source of danger for the local population. Despite all attempts to secure the area and remove as much radiation as possible, including collecting every leaf, the Daiichi plant reactors have “readings peaking at 1.500 microsieverts per hour – more than a thousand times what was normal pre-accident” making repairs difficult. The latest estimates have soil radiation levels far below those of Chernobyl during the same time frame, though Fukushima and its surrounding prefectures will be irradiated for years to come.

The situation has become problematic for displaced citizens. In the little time given former residents of Okuma, for example, many people were barely able to recover belongings, let alone clean any family graves that survived the disasters.

Despite all of this, there is visible progress happening all around the affected areas showing signs of renewed life and resilience from the local population. International concern for Japan was reflected by an outpouring of mainstream media coverage that began weeks before the tragedies’ anniversary. Wall Street Journal's RealTimeJapan blog ran an all encompassing "March 11, One Year Later" series. NY1’s Dean Meminger reported from Kamaishi city for a week-long special report focusing on the affected people of Tohoku. MSNBC carried a photo series with a remarkable then-and-now panoramic photo as well as poignant portraits of survivors. Photographer Denis Rouvre’s survivor portraits in The New York Times questioned whether the disaster can be summed up as shikata ga nai, or “it can’t be helped,” as similar situations have been received in Japan.

Inspiring anecdotes of survivors, young and old, included a man who refuses to leave the no-go zone in order to take care of abandoned animals, and student Yuji Hamada, who turned 15 on the 11th, recalling the loss of his mother and sister on the day of the disasters, and who strives to live life to the fullest.

Working collectively to overcome hardships continues in Minami-sanriku, where oyster farmers feel the “local industry could be back on its feet and thriving as soon as three years from now” and a high school baseball team plays hard towards the national tournament in the name of Ishinomaki.

--Sean Tomizawa

Concert For Japan: More Than The Music

All ages enjoy making origami. Photo by George Hirose.

Earlier this week we detailed 12 hours of music highlights, but Japan Society’s April 9 CONCERT FOR JAPAN is so much more: origami instruction, washi lantern-making, shodō calligraphy, basic language instruction with the theme “Reach out to Japan,” kamishibai storytelling for children, a scavenger hunt, food and drinks, and unlimited access to the exhibit Bye Bye Kitty!!!

Admission for the day is $5, with all proceeds going to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

Designed for people with no previous knowledge of Japanese, the language classes teach how to reach out to Japan through basic Japanese phrases to show support and offer help in 30 minute sessions led by teachers from the Society’s language center.

Master calligrapher Masako Inkyo introduces the basics of shodō – traditional Japanese calligraphy art using a brush and charcoal ink on paper. Participants are invited to create messages of peace and hope to take home, and also enjoy Brush, an exhibit of Inkyo’s latest work displayed near the language center.

From easy yet beautiful flowers to challenging cranes, everyone visiting the Society has the chance to make origami paper art, in workshops led by volunteers form Origami USA.

Original work from the language classes, shodo workshops and origami instruction with messages of support for children affected by the earthquake will be shared digitally with children through the Kids4Japan Facebook page, facilitated by Japan Society’s Education Program.

Inspired by traditional rice paper lanterns typically found at Japanese festivals, participants transform Japan Society’s atrium into a giant washi lantern and send well wishes for earthquake relief in Japan. Designed by architect Aki Ishida's students at Rhode Island School of Design, who run a paper-folding workshop for visitors, the collective sculpture grows over the course of the day.

Kamishibai storytelling transports children and families to a world of mythical creatures and folktale heroes. Lively stories in both English and Japanese combine visuals, song and movement and promote themes of cooperation and generosity. Stories are told by Teri Gindi, Keiko Sawaguchi and Kumiko Yamakado.

CONCERT admission includes unlimited access to the Society popular exhibit Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven & Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art, highlighting some of the most incredible and darkly breathtaking contemporary art from Japan. The gallery will be open an extra three hours on this special occasion.

Throughout the day, visitors are invited to explore Japan Society’s recently landmarked building, from top to bottom, capturing digital images to redeem a gift from Gifu Prefecture or MUJI.

Finally, people can grab specialty beverages from Japan, such as beer, sake, plum wine, green tea, canned coffee, juices and sodas. Soft drinks are $2 and alcoholic beverages are $4. There will also be food to purchase from area vendors ranging from $3-$8.

The full CONCERT FOR JAPAN schedule of performances and activities can be found at http://www.japansociety.org/concertforjapan.

Language classes, shodō lessons, and kamishibai storytelling take place over several small group sessions; ticketing opens at 11:00 am for sessions between 11:45 am-2:15 pm and at 2:15 pm for sessions scheduled 2:30-5:30 pm. Reservations are on a first come, first served basis.

The origami and washi latern workshops are continuous 11:00-6:00. Reservations are not required and participation is on space-available basis.

Those wishing to donate to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund can go to www.japansociety.org/earthquake or mail a check to Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, New York 10017; Attn: Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. Checks should be made payable to Japan Society and indicate “Japan Earthquake Relief Fund” on the check. One hundred percent of tax-deductible contributions to the fund go to these organizations. For additional information, email japanrelief@japansociety.org.

Concert For Japan: Music Heard Around The World

Me & Mars performs at Japan Society in 2010. Photo by Naomi Ramirez.

As Japan copes with the devastating aftermath of the earthquake and tsunamis of March 11, voices of solidarity and acts of generosity have helped  bring a glimmer of hope to many who have been affected.

In New York, a chorus of deep concern and willingness to help expressed by performers, volunteer organizers and many well-wishers, inspired Japan Society’s CONCERT FOR JAPAN on Saturday, April 9--a 12 hour long series of live performances and special events offering a wide range of music and fun for people of all ages.

John Zorn helped put together two ‘gala’ blocks: at 1:00 pm Philip Glass & Hal Willner, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and Zorn perform; and at 6:00 pm Ryuichi Sakamoto performs with special guests followed by M.O.D. Technologies, Bill Laswell, Gigi, Bernie Worrell, Hideo Yamaki and many others.

Though these two blocks of the concert are sold out, people at Japan Society will be able to watch and listen via screens and speakers throughout the building, and everyone around the world can watch live courtesy of Ustream: http://www.ustream.tv/japansociety.

In addition to the gala are 10 hours of open concerts, culminating at 8:00 pm with rock, punk and electro music by female-led J-rock bands from the U.S. and Japan, including riff-heavy, post-punk, crowd-rousing, all-Japanese girl band Hard Nips; the punk pop rock of all-girl band The Suzan; the groovy rock of Me & Mars; and the smooth, chilling, electro-rock groove of Echostream, with members from both the U.S. and Japan. Traveling all the way from Japan, SALMÉ unleashes their wild “Ozashiki Revue”—a unique revue-style performance based on geisha entertainment infused with an urban Tokyo vibe.

With the help of guests organizers James Nyoraku Schlefer and Hayden Brereton (Superglorious), other CONCERT FOR JAPAN participating artists, ranging from Japanese traditional to Western classical and contemporary musicians, include: James Schlefer (shakuhachi), Masayo Ishigure and koto/shamisen ensemble “MIYABI” (koto and shamisen),Yumi Kurosawa (koto), Taikoza (taiko), New York Suwa Taiko Association led by Hiro Kurashima, Mutsumi and Masumi Takamizu (koto duo), Sadahiro Kakitani (ryuteki), Mari Kimura (violin), Lisa Bielawa (soprano), Makoto Nakura (marimba), Taka Kigawa (piano), and Cocolo Japanese Gospel Choir. Plus DJ Aki spins in the j-Lounge where people can sip drinks, snack treats and move their feet.

The full schedule performances can be found at http://www.japansociety.org/concertforjapan. A range of activities will be available throughout the day that we will detail in a future post. Admission for the open concert blocks and full day of activities is $5.

All proceeds from CONCERT FOR JAPAN go to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, established by Japan Society on March 12 to support organizations on the frontlines of disaster relief and recovery in Japan. In addition, Japan Society will give half of all ticket and admission sales made March 14-June 30, 2011, from all Society events to the fund. To date, $1,000,000 has gone to four Japanese nonprofits: the Tokyo Volunteer Network for Disaster Relief, JEN, Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Communities (ETIC), and the Japan NPO Center.

Those wishing to donate to the fund can go to www.japansociety.org/earthquake or mail a check to Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, New York 10017; Attn: Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. Checks should be made payable to Japan Society and indicate “Japan Earthquake Relief Fund” on the check. One hundred percent of tax-deductible contributions to the fund go to these organizations.

For additional information, email japanrelief@japansociety.org.

--Anu Tulachan

SALMÉ unleashes their wild “Ozashiki Revue”.