OBJ launches a project in Minamisoma to create a mutual aid system led by local residents

27th June 2022

• OBJ base in Minamisoma, decorated to allow children who cannot play outside due to radiation to feel leaves and plants even indoors ©JPF

Operation Blessing Japan (OBJ), a JPF member NGO, launched a project in June 2022 in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, to create a mutual aid system led by local residents.

In Minamisoma, evacuation orders were issued for some areas after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, but all evacuation orders were subsequently lifted in July 2016. As a result, in addition to the residents who have returned to their homes, there are many people who have moved to the city from other areas where evacuation orders were issued, and people from various walks of life are living together. Isolation due to community fragmentation has also been observed, which has led to an increase in the number of elderly and young people with difficulties in their lives, making the area a complex challenge.

OBJ began providing support for victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and since 2016 has established a support base in Minamisoma City to provide reconstruction support that focuses on daily life issues. OBJ will work to create a community-based mutual aid system by developing and establishing social resources that can play an active role as a community force, including the development of human resources and the establishment of a system, for implementing local watch-over activities. OBJ's activities will be posted on the JPF website and SNS.

AAR's Inclusive Approach to Community Disaster Management

26th May 2022

• Disaster prevention event held in Kawamata Town in May 2022 ©AAR
  Community members learning how to use disaster prevention tools (left) and AAR staff serving as instructors (right)

The Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR), a JPF member NGO, is now beginning its efforts for inclusive community disaster management, drawing on the experience and lessons learned from more than 11 years of ongoing support activities since immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Once a major disaster strikes, evacuation and shelter life can be extremely difficult for vulnerable groups such as the disabled and elderly. Inclusive community disaster management means that no one will be left behind, and AAR aims to achieve this in preparation for the next disaster.

Specifically, we plan to hold "disaster prevention events" utilizing evacuation drills and disaster prevention tools, as well as "workshops" to help improve issues faced by people with disabilities in the event of a disaster. We have already held a "disaster prevention event" in Kawamata Town, Fukushima Prefecture, in May 2022, and plan to hold another in Nakadori in June, as we continue to expand our area of activities.

AAR has been rooted in the local community and has been working closely with the people affected by the disaster. As a result, AAR is now building connections among residents, local governments, social welfare councils, facilities for the disabled and elderly, and medical institutions in Fukushima Prefecture, and will continue to promote activities based on these connections to realize inclusive community disaster management so that no one is left behind.

AAR organizes regional exchange meetings in and outside of Fukushima Prefecture

25th April 2022

Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR), a JPF member NGO, continues to hold local exchange meetings to prevent the isolation of people who were forced to evacuate to Fukushima Prefecture and beyond due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, and to promote the rebuilding of communities.

During March 2022, while taking measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus infection, we held 2 sessions in Fukushima Prefecture (Minamisoma City and Kawamata Town) and 3 sessions outside Fukushima Prefecture (all in Tokyo), with a total of 35 people attending the exchange meetings. The following comments were received from evacuees in Tokyo.

• It had been a while since I attended. The Corona disaster made it hard to get out, but it was still a relief to talk to people. It is very helpful that they continue to hold social events.
• It has been 11 years since the nuclear power plant disaster, but I still haven't decided whether or not I will return home. I feel connected to Fukushima because I can hear about the situation and information about Fukushima at the exchange meetings.
• (In the March 16, 2022 Fukushima Prefecture earthquake), Tokyo was on intensity 4, but the tower apartments still shook greatly, which was terrifying. Since I live alone, I thought that I could rely on my usual connections to know what to do in such a situation.

As 11 years have passed since the disaster, the number of support groups for victims has decreased and exchange activities have also declined. AAR completed its 1 year and 3 month program in March, but will continue exchange activities from April, as well as disaster prevention AAR will continue to support the local community by focusing on exchange activities as well as disaster prevention activities.

As part of the JPF project, AAR prepared a report on its 11-year history of support to Fukushima

30th March 2022

• Cover of AAR report "Considering Future Relief Activities from the Voices of Survivors" ©AAR

Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR), a JPF member NGO, has been continuously conducting community exchange activities for 11 years since 2011 to reduce stress and prevent isolation of people who have been evacuated to and from Fukushima Prefecture due to the complex disasters caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. JPF supports AAR's activities to disseminate its activities to the public in the form of reports and debriefing sessions, as these activities are very meaningful as a model case of support and lessons learned for future complex disasters in Japan and abroad.

AAR's report (Japanese Only) has recently been completed and published on the AAR website. Specifically, the report divides the 11-year period from the perspective of long-term community exchange support in Fukushima, Iwate, and Miyagi prefectures, which were severely damaged by the nuclear power plant accident, into three phases: (1) the period of living in temporary housing, (2) the period of transition to permanent housing, and (3) the period of reduced public support and the new corona epidemic. Based on this report, AAR will make recommendations to the government, related civic groups, and the general public for the formation of a disaster-resistant and resilient community based on the challenges of Fukushima.

The issues arising from the nuclear accident in Fukushima are diverse and complex, and are expected to be prolonged for decades. JPF will continue its support for Fukushima, drawing on the lessons learned in the AAR report to help resolve this long-standing issue.

▼Click here for AAR's report (Japanese Only)
https://aarjapan.gr.jp/news/5194/

Leaflet for supporters of "Fukushima wide-area Kokoro Care Net" completed.

25th February 2022

• Leaflet for supporters of "Fukushima wide-area Kokoro Care Net" (Cover and some of the contents)

Fukushima prefecture was severely damaged not only by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident but also by tsunami and earthquake. 11 years have passed since the start of the program, and we are entering our 12 year period. There are many cases where supporters feel emotionally exhausted as they continue to face individual and serious challenges.

Therefore, the Fukushima Revitalization Cooperation Center (Renpuku), to which JPF entrusts its work, is working with collaborative organizations to build support systems for supporters by utilizing the "Fukushima wide-area Kokoro Care Net (hereinafter referred to as "Kokoro Care Net")", which brings together organizations working on mental health care in the prefecture. In the course of support activities, supporters sometimes have problems such as not knowing whom to consult or finding solutions. "Kokoro Care Net" is a network to connect supporters and specialists with problems and to think together about solutions as a consultation service.

Recently, a leaflet was completed to help supporters working in the prefecture learn about the "Kokoro Care Net" and is scheduled to be distributed from the beginning of March. Supporters can consult from the QR code of the leaflet distributed within the cooperating organizations. We hope that they will use the "Kokoro Care Net" to continue their support activities with a healthy heart.

Training Materials for Radiation Measurement Engineers Completed

26th January 2022

• Video shooting for teaching materials ©JPF
• “Measurement of Radioactive Materials in Emergencies" Foodstuff Section Cover

JPF had outsourced the measurement of radioactive materials to a non-profit organization, the Iwaki Citizens’ Radiation Measurement Center (commonly known as "TARACHINE"). The purpose of this is to create an environment where local residents can feel free to bring their soil and foodstuffs to TARACHINE at any time and obtain accurate readings of radioactive substances, so that they can live their lives with peace of mind.

Currently, there are only a few engineers at TARACHINE who can perform measurements that require a high level of knowledge due to the complicated process. Therefore, in order to develop human resources with advanced knowledge and skills, TARACHINE has been working for one year since January 2021 to create teaching materials for human resource development.

In this issue, we have compiled information on what to prepare and what steps to take to ensure accurate measurements, focusing on foodstuffs that are in high demand. This book is an easy-to-understand summary of the knowledge accumulated by mothers who gathered together to protect their children at the time of the accident and struggled without any specialized knowledge. We have made a lot of efforts in creating the video and describing the information so that it will be useful in case another nuclear disaster occurs somewhere else.

The teaching materials have recently been completed and two kinds of teaching materials, textbook and video will soon be available on the TARACHINE website. If you are interested, please take a look.

Extension of JPF and AAR Support Projects

26th January 2022

As for JPF's support to the Great East Japan Earthquake (Fukushima support), JPF and its member NGO, the Association for Aid and Relief (AAR), are currently providing support services respectively, and have decided to extend the period of both projects from December 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022. We will continue to provide support so that disaster affected people and supporters can share a common awareness of the issues and promote recovery through the power of citizens.

Aiming for support that weaves interaction

14th December 2021

• ©AAR
• ©AAR

Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR), a JPF member NGO, is continuing its support activities in Fukushima for the people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and evacuees from the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima, giving due consideration to the prevention of COVID-19 infection. AAR is providing massage and attentive listening at public housing for reconstruction, which requires monitoring, and also working to create interaction among residents through salon activities.

Online Event "Shabekuri 8"

3rd November 2021

The Fukushima Revitalization Cooperation Center (Renpuku), a Fukushima Prefecture-based intermediary support organization with which JPF has contracted its work, will hold an online symposium called "Shabekuri 8" to tell the story of the current situations in Futaba County. 

Date and Time: 20 November 2021, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Mental Health Care Collaboration System

October 2021

In the Fukushima Response, psychiatric experts and supporters will work together to look after the mental health of the victims and build a system to support them in the community. We have outsourced the work to the Fukushima Renpuku Center, and are aiming to create a support system for mental health care through discussions with the participation of residents and effective use of local resources.

Oceanographic Research by Tarachine

September 2021

Iwaki Citizens' Radiation Measurement Center (also known as "Tarachine"), a non-profit organization, has been conducting radiation measurement projects in support of JPF Fukushima. Since 2015, Tarachine has been conducting sampling surveys at a point 1.5 km offshore from the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and conducted another survey late last month. They collected seawater, fish, and phytoplankton from the surface and seabed and measured them in the lab. Currently, plans are underway to start releasing treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean in the spring of 2023. Long-term radioactive contamination of the ocean is an enormous environmental pollution that cannot be stopped by human power. If the treated water is discharged into the ocean, there is no way to recover it afterwards. As something we can do now, Tarachine is continuously recording the changes in radiation levels.

Click here to see a video of the marine survey and here to see past measurement results.

"Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan Created by Citizens' Power", Study Session with Experts Conducted

31st August 2021

• Lecture by Prof. Yamori ©JPF
• Question and answer session with participants,
  15 participants from various organizations ©JPF

On August 25, Professor Katsuya Yamori of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University gave a lecture on "Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Planning with the Power of Citizens. Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR), Iwaki Citizens' Radiation Measurement Center (also known as "Tarachine"), organizations which are both active in the Fukushima support program, and JPF secretariat staff participated in the lecture.

JPF's Fukushima support program supports "open science," in which those affected by disaster and supporters share a common awareness of issues and promote reconstruction through the power of citizens. 10 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and there is a growing need for disaster prevention activities created by local communities. This time, Prof. Yamori gave a lecture on community-based planning for natural disasters, using specific examples from areas affected by disasters, and held a question and answer session with the participants.

Prof. Yamori introduced the idea of setting up an easy-to-understand "evacuation switch" in the community in advance, such as "if the river water reaches this level according to the water level gauge," and also the idea of having a "second-best" evacuation site in case you cannot escape to the place designated by the government. He also mentioned that even if elderly people cannot go outdoors for evacuation drills, it is important to practice indoor evacuation drills, such as going upstairs or to the front door of the house, in order to increase the possibility of saving lives.

He also introduced the importance of providing opportunities for residents to think about disaster prevention from various perspectives, such as for their pets, grandchildren, or to protect their precious belongings and memories, as a way to get more people involved in disaster preparedness with a sense of reality. He also pointed out the importance of having citizens, the government, and various organizations take one step at a time and work together.

The importance of discussing and deciding "when and where to evacuate" in advance, in detail, and with multiple people was emphasized.

During the question and answer session, participants shared the difficulty of raising awareness of disaster prevention due to the invisible nature of radioactivity in the case of a nuclear power plant accident and people's awareness that such accidents occur infrequently.
In addition, since it is difficult to grasp the whole picture of where and what kind of difficulties and disabilities people have, how to involve the whole community is a serious problem.
During the session, the participants were able to learn more about the private sector's approach for such problems.

After the workshop, some participants said, "I learned a lot from the approach that disaster prevention is not just for the sake of danger, but also for the sake of protecting what is important to you," and others said, " I liked the way he said that even if you don't suffer any damage during an evacuation, you should consider it as a practice.”

We will make use of the many lessons learned from this workshop in our activities to "protect lives in the community," such as the importance of residents taking action according to the local situation, rather than following the manual.

For more information on the research of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute of Kyoto University, click here.
idrs.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/yamorilab/?page_id=16

Human Resource Development Project for Radioactivity Measurement Technology

31st July 2021 20:00

JPF, as a Fukushima support program, is working to create a system to take charge of the reconstruction process on a local basis. Among the radioactive materials spread by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, there are some nuclides for which the measurement process is complicated and requires a high level of knowledge. It is necessary to develop human resources now in order to maintain a system to carry out accurate and long-term measurement, which can be an important material for survival.

JPF entrusted the project to the Iwaki Citizens' Radiation Measurement Center, which is also known as Mothers' Radiation Lab Fukushima and more commonly referred to as Tarachine (a word that means mother and appears in old Japanese poetry), a non-profit organization established by local residents in Fukushima in 2011. Tarachine also conducted radiation measurement as part of JPF's "Living Together" fund project from 2017 to 2020. Tarachine has been compiling the skills acquired through its activities into teaching materials, and is currently filming a video to show the measurement method. The completed teaching materials, including textbooks and videos, will be used in online classes and training for those who wish to acquire the technology, with the aim of increasing the number of measurement engineers.

Community Exchange Activities Outside Fukushima Prefecture

30th June 2021 23:59

The Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR), a JPF member NGO, is implementing a JPF program to support the promotion of community exchanges for those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima Prefecture and the Tokyo metropolitan area.

AAR has been holding exchange meetings for those forced to evacuate or move outside of Fukushima Prefecture. In May, these meetings were held in several locations in Tokyo.

Some of them are suffering from mental stress due to the isolation of being forgotten about the damage they have suffered, the poverty of their lives, and being forced to move out of public housing.

The meetings are held to prevent isolation by promoting exchanges among evacuees and with local residents, and to provide a place where people can feel at ease.

Radioactivity Measurement Activities by "Tarachine”

13th May 2021

Iwaki Citizens’ Radiation Measurement Center Tarachine was established by local residents in 2011 to protect the health and livelihood of children and local people from radiation exposure caused by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The project continued from 2017 to 2020 as a JPF "Living Together Fund” project, and it is continuing from January 2021 as a JPF Fukushima support project.

Radioactivity cannot be seen, smelled, or felt, but the radiation levels of the soil around our homes, vegetables and fruits grown in the fields, water, etc., which are a part of our daily lives, cannot be ascertained from information released by public institutions.

At Tarachine, the general public can bring in foodstuffs and soil, and the measured data is published so that everyone can have access to it. This helps people to avoid danger and proactively decide "where and how to live".

The results of the April measurements are now available on the Tarachine website. Wild edible plants from Fukushima prefecture have high levels of radiation, so we need to be careful.

Click here for the latest and past measurement results.
https://tarachineiwaki.org/radiation/result

Activities of Iwaki Radioactivity Measurement Room "Tarachine" was introduced

10th May 2021 17:47

The activities of the Iwaki Citizens’ Radiation Measurement Center, which is also known as Mothers’ Radiation Lab Fukushima and more commonly referred to as Tarachine (a word that means mother and appears in old Japanese poetry), which JPF has commissioned to support Fukushima, were introduced in the monthly "Radioactivity Report" published by Pal System.

After the nuclear power plant accident, mothers in Fukushima started measuring the radioactivity of their food because, "We didn't know what ingredients we should use to make dinner”. They use reliable technology to measure the amount of radiation in food and soil, and publish the information on their website in real time.

In addition, Tarachine is also monitoring the health of workers taking care of the aftermath of the nuclear accident. In addition to the usual health checkups, the "Tarachine Clinic" provides medical checkups related to radiation exposure.

In the report, Kaori Suzuki, Executive Director, said, "To begin with, many of the workers have never had general health checkups, and there is a situation where their health is not taken seriously. Considering that nuclear power plant work will continue in the future, creating an environment where the health of the workers is protected now should also lead to the protection of the health of children who may be involved in the work in the future.

Pal System "Radiation Report
https://bit.ly/3o7dkU7

AAR's Support for Promoting Community Exchange

29th April 2021 18:00

Since January, the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR), a JPF member NGO, has been supporting the promotion of community exchange for the people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture and the Tokyo metropolitan area as a JPF program.

AAR has been conducting community exchange activities through massages and listening sessions for the people affected by the disaster residing in Fukushima Prefecture on an ongoing basis since 2011 to reduce stress, prevent isolation, and promote community rebuilding. For those who evacuated from the prefecture, AAR has been conducting exchange activities with other evacuees who moved to the prefecture and locals, which they have been continuing in collaboration with other organizations since 2017.

In March, AAR conducted massage and listening sessions in Fukushima Prefecture. They also held craft classes in several places in the prefecture to promote exchange. Outside of the prefecture, exchange meetings were held at several locations in Tokyo, and consultations were held with lawyers and mental health workers to provide advice on problems including living in poverty. The activities in each area were carried out while taking thorough measures against coronavirus infection.
In addition, AAR analyzes and studies the results and challenges of the past 10 years of community exchange activities, as well as support measures that can be utilized in the future, and make recommendations and disseminate them through the preparation of reports and holding of debriefing sessions.

On February 27, AAR held an online symposium entitled "10 Years After the Earthquake: Toward the Realization of the Future that Each and Every Person Desires.

Click here for a report on the event.
https://www.aarjapan.gr.jp/activity/report/2021/0303_3169.html

10 years passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake

11th March 2021 15:15

Today marks 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake hit Japan. We express our deepest sorrow for those who lost their lives due to the earthquake and condolences to those who continue to grieve the loss of their loved ones.

More than 41,000 people* remain displaced across Japan. The disaster continues to affect the lives of many; they are still living in its aftermath.

Japan Platform (JPF) has continued to deliver assistance since the day that the Great East Japan Earthquake hit. In Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures, JPF worked closely with local communities and supported reconstruction until FY2016, when we began to see signs of locally led reconstruction. For Fukushima Prefecture, where the issues are more complex and long term, JPF began an enhanced response from November 2015, and continued to make efforts to build a framework for reconstruction through FY2019.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported our reconstruction efforts in affected communities over these last 10 years.

JPF will not cease its assistance that it has been delivering since 2011. In January 2021, we began implementing a new strategy to support Fukushima and solve the three remaining issues there, namely (1) supporting affected people and evacuees within and outside of Fukushima Prefecture, (2) reducing the risk of radiation exposure, and (3) building a framework for locally led reconstruction. This year, we will support Open Science initiatives to promote a common understanding of issues among affected communities and aid workers, and to transition to reconstruction led by local residents.

(See here for details: Press release on JPF’s Great East Japan Earthquake Response (Fukushima Response) Program
https://www.japanplatform.org/E/info/005277.html）

We will keep striving to enable people living in the aftermath of the disaster to lead healthy lives full of hope. We ask for your kind and continued support.

Website for the Great East Japan Earthquake Response (Fukushima Response) Program
https://www.japanplatform.org/contents/fukushima/

Pamphlet for the Great East Japan Earthquake Response (Fukushima Response) Program
https://www.japanplatform.org/contents/fukushima/lib/pamphlet2021.pdf

*Reconstruction Agency. “Number of displaced people nationwide.” Issued Feb. 26, 2021, numbers as of Feb. 8, 2021.
https://bit.ly/2PSb6ea

JPF Continuing Assistance Beyond the 10th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake: New Program Policy for Solving 3 Remaining Issues in Fukushima

26th February 2021 11:50

Japan Platform (JPF) has continued its support for those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake since the disaster struck in 2011. In January 2021, as we were about to face the 10th anniversary, we decided not to cease our assistance for the region and to begin a response specifically to support Fukushima with a new program policy to resolve the three remaining issues there.

This program aims to tackle the three remaining unresolved issues in Fukushima as recommended by external experts in the program evaluation for the Great East Japan Earthquake Response conducted during fiscal year 2019*1.

Focusing on areas that still require support due to the effects of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, we will support Open Science*2 initiatives during 2021 so that people affected by the disaster and their supporters can share a common awareness of issues and promote reconstruction efforts through the power of citizens.

The long-term effects of the disaster have also had a profound impact on people's emotional and psychological wellbeing, and it is urgent that a framework is set up where the regions affected can fully recover. We appreciate your continued warm support for our efforts.

Press Release
JPF Continuing Assistance Beyond the 10th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake: New Program Policy for Solving 3 Remaining Issues in Fukushima
Call for Donations to Support Open Science Initiatives Among Citizens

*1 JPF Great East Japan Earthquake Response Program Evaluation Report (March 2020)

*2: “[Open Science] is a movement to transform scientific research into an activity that is more open to citizens (who are non-specialists). [...] It aims to expand traditional methods of scientific communication so that we can build up scientific and educational theories that allow for the realization of the types of scientific research that more people including the general public cooperate with it, are involved in it, and trust it.” [Michinori Hatayama, Katsuya Yamori, Ana Maria Cruz, Muneta Yokomatsu, Masamitsu Onishi, Genta Nakano, and Emmanuel Garnier, “Present and Future Research in Disaster Reduction Systems (4),” Kyoto University Disaster Prevention Research Institute Annuals Vol. 63 A (2020):124.]

We Are Collecting and Disseminating Your Words: Expressions of thoughts and experiences from the Great East Japan Earthquake

19th January 2021 7:00

JPF is a member of the Voice from 3.11 Project’s executive committee. On the occasion of this socially significant milestone that is the 10th anniversary of the 3.11 disaster, this project will collect and widely disseminate to the world the uniquely expressed words of those who experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and are in the midst of rebuilding lives and working towards full reconstruction. This includes people who were directly affected by the disaster as survivors, people who were forced to evacuate, and people who engaged in relief work as their supporters. The goals are to pass on the lessons and insights that people have learned from this disaster to future generations, and to have them taken root in our society to be shared by all.

There are three types of Tsudoi or gatherings hosted by the Voice from 3.11 project. Gathering of Words (Kotoba no Tsudoi) gathers the words of survivors, evacuees, and the supporters, as each from their own perspective reflect on what recovery and reconstruction mean to them. Based on these gathered words, we then have the Gathering of Everyone (Minna no Tsudoi), where people who have been involved in 3.11 connect with each other, discuss what ought to be done in preparation for the next disaster, and disseminate their collective thoughts as messages to larger society and to the future generations. Finally, there is the Gathering of Connections (Tsunagari no Tsudoi) which is a space created online to connect and to reconnect people who have been in or otherwise involved in the communities hit by the disaster, now that ten years have passed, to help people feel rejuvenated in each other’s presence.

Please visit the Voice from 3.11 website for more details: https://voicefrom311.net/

Looking Back on 3.11 through the Great East Japan Earthquake Archives

21st December 2020 19:00

March of next year will mark 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, the questions still remain with us after a decade: What happened on 3.11? How have those affected lived their lives since 3.11? And how should we act if we are struck by the disaster ourselves?

On the NHK Great East Japan Earthquake Archives website, you can learn from a lot of archival records regarding 3.11 including testimonies, videos, records of the recovery efforts, and lessons on disaster prevention and mitigation.

Visit the NHK Great East Japan Earthquake Archives here:
https://www9.nhk.or.jp/archives/311shogen/

MdM's Press Release "Spinning Words from Fukushima" (JPF's Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake "Living Together" Fund Project)

23rd November 2020 18:00

In March this year, Médecins du Monde Japan (MdM) completed its mental health care activities in Fukushima that it had been implementing since after the disaster struck the region. At this time, MdM has compiled what the people of Fukushima - who experienced the unprecedented complex disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and the nuclear accident on and since 3.11 - expressed over the course of nine years of their activities as well as number of comments from MdM staff members who supported those affected by this disaster during this time. The booklet "Spinning Words from Fukushima" was put together as part of JPF's "Living Together" Fund project.

Please download the booklet and read it here:
https://www.mdm.or.jp/mdm/cont/uploads/2020/11/fukushima_201104single_1106.pdf

MdM's press release can be found here: https://www.mdm.or.jp/news/19965/

Storyteller Activity Resumes at Okawa Elementary School

31st October 2020 7:00

March of this fiscal/school year marks the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. At Okawa Elementary School in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, 84 people were killed by the tsunami. Some of the bereaved families had been holding storytelling sessions at the school building, which is now undergoing maintenance as a relic of the disaster, but due to the effects of the new coronavirus, these activities had been suspended since January of this year.

The storytelling activity, however, has resumed on the 25th of this month. Storytellers remarked, "It's been more than nine years since the earthquake and tsunami, and it's becoming harder to understand what exactly happened then. But we would like for everyone to think back to the normal daily lives people had up to that day. Disasters hit on a regular day that has nothing special about it until it happens." These storytellers reminded people about the importance of being prepared for disasters, which can happen at any time.

NHK News: https://bit.ly/2HEz09n

Online Event "Shabekuri 8" on the Status Quo of 8 Towns and Villages in Futaba, Fukushima

11th September 2020 15:53

The Fukushima Revitalization Cooperation Center (Renpuku), a Fukushima Prefecture-based intermediary support organization with which JPF has contracted its work, will hold an online symposium called "Shabekuri 8" to tell the story of the current situations in Futaba County. Since it has become even more difficult for outsiders to find out how the region is doing due to the coronavirus pandemic, Renpuku will introduce the challenges faced by the eight towns and villages in Futaba County, such as low birthrate and the aging population. Please join this event!

★Date and Time: Friday, 25 September 2020, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
★Event Delivery Method: Online (via Zoom)
★Registration: With your name, organizational affiliation, and contact information (email address), please send:
1) an email to info@f-renpuku.org, or
2) a fax to 024-573-2733
*Please be sure to write your email address as we will send you a Zoom invitation email will be sent to you.
★Registration Deadline: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
★Main Organizer: Fukushima Revitalization Cooperation Center (Renpuku)
★Support provided by: Futaba County Community Development Council (“Futaba 8”)

▼About Renpuku: https://f-renpuku.org/

Reflections on the Food Bank Operations in Hamadori Region, Fukushima Prefecture

25th August 2020 21:30

• Interviewing about The People’s activities

The People, a recipient of JPF's Living Together Fund, has been running a food bank in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, to support those who have become needy as a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The People has also been providing food assistance in areas of Iwaki City affected by last year's Typhoon Hagibis.

We have introduced The People’s assistance for the needy through their food bank on the Domestic Division blog in the past. Currently, as part of JPF's coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency response, some of our member NGOs are providing meals and distributing groceries to the needy.

Visit here to read the Domestic Division blog: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2020/04/06/122646

Areas affected by natural disasters are often considered forerunners in problem solving. This is especially true in the case of communities in Fukushima affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, as the same problems they have faced are now surfacing in other areas not necessarily struck by natural disasters but experiencing the blunt of the global pandemic. You might not think that having trouble putting food on the table is a common problem in Japan as a developed country, but this is actually happening right now in this country due to both natural disasters and the pandemic. People’s lives were turned upside down, and it has become difficult for many to feed themselves and their families on a daily basis.

Domestic Division New Blog Post! Staff’s last greetings from JPF

28th July 2020 10:58

• Last day of work at JPF

The JPF Domestic Division blog provides an opportunity for JPF staff to let the readers know about our assistance activities in Japan. This is a last post by Yamanaka who has been in charge of Fukushima affairs in the Domestic Division and will be leaving JPF. Please do take a look at the post in which he talks about how he’s confronted challenges in the community that has gone through a disaster, reflects on the path that he has taken, and looks ahead to where he is going next.
Click here for the post: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2020/07/28/105340

Fukushima Through the Perspective of SDGs

30th June 2020 7:30

• Clear stream in Kawauchi village
• Beach in East Timor
• Rice field in Kawauchi village
• Tremembé community in Brazil

Starting this April, JPF staff have begun writing a series of posts entitled, “Countries Through the Perspective of SDGs,” which introduce the readers to countries and regions with which JPF has ties from the perspective of SDGs and challenges faced in each society.

In the series, different countries in Asia, Europe, and South America have been picked up already, but Japan certainly does not go without mention in this series. The challenges that each country currently faces or has faced in the past may very well be related to what Japan has been going through. In the posts on East Timor (posts no. 8 through 10) and Brazil (posts no. 12 and 13), the issues these respective countries face are described while touching on the situation in the areas of Fukushima where the evacuation order has been lifted.

“Health and welfare for all.”
“Protect the richness of our seas.”
“Protect the richness of our land, too.”

These are written by our staff Tsutomu Yamanaka, who is in charge of Fukushima Affairs in the Domestic Division. Please do take a look!
https://www.japanplatform.org/contents/SDGs/world/

Response to the ­­Great East Japan Earthquake Program Evaluation Report Now on Website

4th May 2020 23:00

Nine full years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. JPF’s Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Program has had external evaluation professionals conduct regular program evaluations since 2011 in order to analyze and verify how the projects have been implemented, and to improve the projects and how they are managed and operated. The report that has been uploaded at this time is for the program evaluation conducted between fiscal years 2016 and 2019. We are grateful to all who have cooperated with us in this evaluation effort and in the creation of the report.

Please take a look at the report from the link here: http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/report/evaluation.html

Domestic Division New Blog Post: Updates on areas of Fukushima where evacuation order was lifted and support for the needy [Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake]

6th April 2020 12:39

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The new blog post talks about a community event that took place in February in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, that promoted exchange and interaction among people and organizations and the current conditions in the areas where the evacuation order has been lifted within the prefecture. The blog introduces the readers to local activities from the perspective of assistance for the needy and food banks.

Please visit the Domestic Division’s blog here: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2020/04/06/122646

Great East Japan Earthquake: JPF staff interview article

11th March 2020 19:12

Interview with Tsutomu Yamanaka of JPF’s Domestic Division has been posted on the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s website. What are the challenges that remain for communities after the evacuation order has been lifted? How have nonprofit organizations in the prefecture tackled them? We would love for you to find out some of these answers in the article.

“Long-term state of emergency” behind the “Reconstruction Olympics” - Nine years since the earthquake, and listening to voices from the areas affected by it
https://cdp-japan.jp/interview/59

9th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake

11th March 2020 10:28

• Fukushima this morning. Photo taken by JPF staff ©JPF

Today, 11th March, marks nine full years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Once again, we would like to extend our deepest sympathies to those who have been lost due to this disaster and our heartfelt condolences to their families. Even as nine long years have passed, reconstruction is still in progress in many regions and as many as 48,000 evacuees* from this disaster are still displaced. There have been many more people affected throughout Japan from other large-scale disasters since, including the Kumamoto Earthquake, Western Japan Floods, Typhoon Faxai, and Typhoon Hagibis.

The lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake have contributed to many changes and improvements in how we respond to consequent disasters. At JPF, we will put together our best efforts in our next disaster response as we make the most of all that we have learned from our past relief work. And in partnership and cooperation with many, we will strive to keep the number of casualties as low as possible and to deliver assistance to those in need.

*Reconstruction Agency “Number of Evacuees Nationwide”
(Announced on 28th February 2020; Numbers as of 10th February 2020)
https://bit.ly/39RWiBq

“Art to Heart vol.15 in Sendai” Great East Japan Earthquake Charity Event

27th February 2020 18:09

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Is art necessary? Yes, for your hearts it certainly must be!

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the Abe Keishiro Gallery in Sendai and Gallery Echo Ann in Ginza, Tokyo, have held an exhibition every year entitled, “Art to Heart Charity Exhibition.” Artwork by artists who support this cause of post-disaster revitalization is sold and the proceeds have been donated to relief organizations such as JPF or the Japanese Red Cross Society. We are grateful for all of the donations and are determined to make careful use of these gifts.

This year, the 15th charity exhibition is held in Sendai. You can find Japanese-style paintings as well as pin badges, postcards and an assortment of other items that you may find more accessible. They are also hosting a paper relief print workshop, which will be a great opportunity to learn professional techniques from the artists themselves! Please visit if you are in the neighborhood. (Note: The “Art to Heat” exhibitions at Echo Ann Gallery has come to an end for now after the 13th charity exhibition in 2018.)

“Art to Heart vol.15 in Sendai”
Dates: Thursday 27th February - Tuesday 3rd March *Gallery closed on Wednesdays. Closes at 4 p.m. on the last day.
Venue: Abe Keishiro Gallery (Umehara Building B1, 4-10-16 Ichibancho Aoba-ku Sendai)
Paper Relief Print Workshop: Sunday 1st March, 500-yen participation fee
*Please call 022-796-1527 (at Abe Keishiro Gallery) if you want to participate in the workshop.
Website: http://www.abe-keishiro.jp/
Artists supporting the charity: Yoichi Okano, Hiroyuki Kimura, Shohei Takasaki, Kentaro Hirano, Mikako Fujii, Kazunori Mizuguchi, Yoshimi Yokoyama

Domestic Division New Blog Post! From the business trip to Rikuzentakata, Iwate

27th February 2020 13:05

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This blog post reports on the city of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, where JPF staff visited at the end of January 2020 to conduct interviews with the implementation partners of the “Living Together” fund grants. We would love for you to read the accounts of JPF Domestic and Public Relations Division staff on their visit to the Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum (Denshokan) that shares with the world the damages sustained and lessons learned from the tsunami, the planting efforts towards the revitalization of the Takata Pine Forest, and a chance encounter with an old colleague.

JPF’s blog can be read here: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2020/02/27/123403

Great East Japan Earthquake Themed Play “The Time We Spent in Ishinomaki”

26th February 2020 16:45

The 11th of next month marks the ninth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. This disaster has resulted in over 18,000 deaths and missing persons, and more than 404,000 structures were fully or partially destroyed. Even until today, close to 50,000 people are still displaced and living in temporary housing. The earthquake indeed took a huge toll on the region.

“The Time We Spent in Ishinomaki” (Ishinomaki ni Ita Jikan) is a play based on the experiences of disaster volunteers during the Great East Japan Earthquake, and it will be performed in a theater in Hiroshima on 1st March. I hope you get to feel the real voices and feelings of disaster volunteers through this play.

For more information, please visit this page: https://bit.ly/2TAgCBx

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Interviews with JPF Member NGOs in Ishinomaki and Tokyo

10th February 2020 11:00

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JPF staff members traveled to Ishinomaki on January 31 to conduct interviews for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake report meeting. The visit was to the Japan Car Sharing Association (JCSA), an organization receiving grants from the “Living Together” Fund and a JPF member organization 2019, whose car sharing initiatives offer a very interesting form of mobility assistance. Staff members spoke with representative director Yoshizawa to prepare for the upcoming report meeting.

Incidentally, the JPF Public/Media Relations Division had the privilege of attending the 2019 report meeting held by JCSA on January 17 in Tokyo, hearing a story about the association’s foundation, its current initiatives, and other topics. It happened that the day of the meeting was the last day of JCSA’s crowd funding project for which the association reached its goal.

On February 3 in Tokyo, in preparation for the report meeting, we were granted time to interview project staff members at the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan) that has continued to provide aid in regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake since the earthquake and has been active in aid activities in areas affected by Typhoon Hagibis in October of last year. AAR Japan is a JPF member organization, a “Living Together” Fund grant recipient, and an aid organization based outside the affected areas; for this reason, we take a great interest in the ways of its aid activities.

We will announce the schedule and other details for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake report meeting as soon as they are finalized.

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Project: Evaluation Meeting with Outside Experts

3rd February 2020 15:00

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JPF enlisted outside experts to carry out an objective evaluation of the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Project (FY2016 - FY2019).
JPF staff members today met with the outside experts to discuss the results of their evaluation. We reviewed achievements, issues, and other matters identified in interviews conducted by the experts with organizations commissioned for JPF cooperation, coordination, and support projects and with organizations receiving grants from the “Living Together” Fund. We also had productive discussions on how aid needed in the future should be organized and provided.

A Thank You Message for Donations Generated by the Ocean Project

3rd February 2020 10:00

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My name is Ishizaki, and I’m from JPF. I took part in the 70th Ocean Project Charity New Year’s Party 2020 at Yokohama Chinatown, held January 26 at Daichinrou in Yokohama.
The event was held for the first time on Marine Day back in July 2009. Since June 2011, following the Great East Japan Earthquake, the event has helped our humanitarian aid activities.

During the event, JPF Secretary General Takahashi reported on our current aid activities.
The party itself featured a wonderful erhu performance, delicious food from Daichinrou, and sake selected by Sake Samurai, wine, and other beverages.

A portion of the proceeds from each party goes to benefit JPF aid activities. Once again, I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who participated. The donations will go to help affected people.

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Visit to Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture

24th January 2020 21:00

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On January 24, JPF staff members visited Shinchi Town in Fukushima Prefecture to talk to Koizumi, the current representative from Miraito,* an organization receiving grants from the “Living Together” Fund.

*Miraito was dissolved as a nonprofit and now operates as a voluntary association.
Miraito continues to organize events on a volunteer basis, including futsal tournaments and Zen meditation classes for elementary school students.

Shinchi Town is developing one of Japan’s premier pump tracks (racing courses for mountain bikers) at Tsurushi Disaster Prevention Green Park, located in a coastal area of the town heavily damaged in the tsunami. Once complete, the track is expected to host international tournaments and other major events.

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Visit to Rikuzentakata

23rd January 2020 18:04

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On January 23, JPF staff members visited Rikuzentakata to discuss the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake report meeting.
The organization they visited was the Rikuzentakata Machizukuri Collaboration Center, which receives grants from the “Living Together” Fund. In preparation for the upcoming report meeting, JPF staff members interviewed center director Miura. Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to talk to us!
While in Rikuzentakata, before the meeting, our staff members visited the Iwate Tsunami Memorial.
The memorial is built on a site between the earthquake-damaged remains of the Michi-no-Eki roadside station and the Ipponmatsu, the lone pine tree that miraculously survived the tsunami. The memorial presents the history of tsunami, information on the tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and testimonials from people affected by the disaster.
Beyond the seawall, you can see rows of recently planted pine saplings overlooking the sea. Everyone is looking forward to seeing a lovely pine grove regenerate.
We will announce the schedule and other details for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake report meeting as soon as they are finalized.

Domestic Division blog post released: Monitoring the “Living Together” Fund (Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake)

25th December 2019 14:37

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This blog post is a report by Yamazaki of the JPF Domestic Division.

It includes a description of recipient organizations in Fukushima and Yamagata prefectures visited while monitoring the “Living Together” Fund program.

We encourage readers to take a look.

▼ Click here for the JPF blog post.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2019/12/25/142103

Domestic Division blog post released: Fukushima Wide-Area Mental Care Network

12th December 2019 11:54

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This blog post describes a report by Minpuku, a nonprofit.

Minpuku undertakes intermediary aid activities in JPF cooperation and coordination (e.g., networking), enhancing community capabilities, and other activities in Hamadori, Fukushima Prefecture. This report concerns a seminar on mental care, an important topic in recovery support.

We encourage readers to take a look.

▼ Click here for the JPF blog post.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2019/12/12/114221

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Exchange of Opinions on Future Aid at Tarachine in Iwaki

10th December 2019 16:50

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In November, the Japan Platform (JPF) Domestic Division staff held an event to exchange opinions on future aid with Director Suzuki at Mother’s Radiation Lab Fukushima (Tarachine), a recipient organization of the “Living Together” Fund. The walls of the expanded office featured pictures drawn by children, among others.

Established primarily by mothers in the city of Iwaki, Tarachine has engaged in various support activities, including undertaking measurements to confirm the safety of food and living environments. Recently, it prepared a picture book to make it easier to grasp analytical methods and made a poster presentation at the 22nd national academic conference in Okinawa of Four Winds for Infant Mental Health (24th November) on visualizing the psychological impact on mothers and children in affected areas and future topics.

The Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan) staff member Ohara, who oversees that organization’s aid projects for people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, also participated in this meeting. AAR Japan is implementing a Regional Revitalization Project to aid people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake (not a JPF project). It also continues to undertake activities including providing support for temporary housing and organizing events to help people affected by Typhoon Hagibis.

The future outlook for Tarachine, including ideas presented at this meeting, will be introduced at a later date.

▼ Click here for the Tarachine picture book.
https://www.facebook.com/tarachineiwaki/posts/3161292530608819?__tn__=-R

Domestic Division blog post released: Considering Those Living in Poverty in Fukushima: Fukushima Neighbors Network

28th November 2019 17:00

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This blog post introduces a report by the Fukushima Cooperative Reconstruction Center (Renpuku).

Renpuku undertakes prefectural intermediary aid activities involving JPF cooperation and coordination (e.g., networking), enhancing community capabilities, and other activities for affected areas in Fukushima Prefecture. This report concerns a workshop on initiatives to help those living in poverty, an important topic in Fukushima.

We encourage readers to take a look.

▼ Click here for the JPF blog post.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2019/11/28/151006

Typhoon Hagibis: Touring Areas Affected by Typhoon Hagibis Together with an Expert on Humanitarian Aid

13th November 2019 18:00

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On 11th November, the JPF staff toured areas of the Tohoku region devastated by Typhoon Hagibis, together with Jessica Alexander (Professor, Columbia University; Fulbright Scholar; Visiting Researcher, Sophia University; Advisor, Humanitarian Policy, United Nations), an expert on humanitarian aid. In April, Ms. Alexander also took part in a tour of areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

▼ Click here for more information on Jessica Alexander’s tour of areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2019/07/11/130125

This tour of affected areas included opportunities to hear from people involved in NGOs and nonprofits engaged in aid activities in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. Plans call for presenting Ms. Alexander’s report on the tour on the JPF Domestic Division blog and elsewhere at a later date.

* Photo: At the Iwaki Disaster Volunteer Center, operated by JPF member NGO Peace Boat Disaster Relief (PBV)

Domestic Division blog post released: JPF Takes Part in a Conference at the Fukushima Cooperative Reconstruction Center in Fukushima Prefecture on Addressing the Impact of Typhoon Hagibis

29th October 2019 19:30

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This JPF blog post provides a brief report on a hastily convened conference held at the Fukushima Cooperative Reconstruction Center (Renpuku) to address the impact of Typhoon Hagibis.

Among the topics discussed at the conference was a proposal to establish a Fukushima Disaster Aid Activity Platform in which various organizations in Fukushima would take part.

We encourage readers to take a look at the report and to support aid activities carried out in the wider affected area, including Fukushima.

▼ Click here for the JPF blog post.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2019/10/29/154724

Domestic Division blog post released: JPF Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Project: Initiatives to Address Issues in Japan As Seen in the Village of Kawauchi, Fukushima Prefecture

18th September 2019 19:30

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This JPF blog post by Yamanaka of the Domestic Division mainly introduces initiatives by the Kawauchi Village Community Future Project in the village of Kawauchi, Fukushima Prefecture.

Initiatives in Kawauchi, where residents continue to return since the evacuation order was lifted, are among the first to address issues expected to concern all of Japan, including the threat to cultural continuity in communities stemming from Japan’s low birth rates and aging society.

We encourage readers to take a look.

▼ Click here for the JPF blog post.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2019/09/18/104125

Business Insider Japan: Proposals for Reducing Burdens on Local Governments of Affected Areas and Eliminating Disparities

2nd September 2019 14:01

Business Insider Japan has published an article written by Yukihiko Akutsu, a former JPF Domestic Division Manager and currently director-general for the headquarters for comprehensive disaster management of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan as member of the House of Representatives, concerning the vision of nonpartisan efforts to prevent disasters.

We encourage readers to take a look.

▼ Click here for the article.
https://www.businessinsider.jp/post-197858?fbclid=IwAR2Nt-XFq5wFX9w6Zh68rRPFzyNFhx7o92VSOCoNPwxer7tqXrVkDiqfr-A

BuzzFeed News Publishes an Interview with Yoshitomo Nara

1st September 2019 20:00

In the JPF X ART Project, JPF visited a refugee camp in Syria together with artist Yoshitomo Nara.

This interview with Mr. Nara by Senior Fellow Daisuke Furuta, founding editor of BuzzFeed Japan, is titled “Alternatives to Despair in a Time of Disaster, Death, and Division.” In it, Mr. Nara describes his experiences in the Great East Japan Earthquake, at the refugee camp, and elsewhere.

We encourage readers to take a look.

▼ Click here for the interview.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jp/daisukefuruta/nara

A Researcher from Taiwan Interviews a JPF Staff Member

9th August 2019 19:30

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On 5th August, Shu Hsin Lin Ph.D from National Taipei University, Department of Public Administration and Policy visited JPF for an interview. Prof. Lin, an expert in public administration and nonprofit organizations, also holds a Ph.D from the Graduate School of Nagoya University.

This summer, Prof. Lin is resident in Japan under a research grant from the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, surveying and researching nonprofit and NGO roles and issues in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Prof. Lin interviewed Yamanaka of the JPF Domestic Division.

Following an explanation of JPF’s organization and activities, Prof. Lin asked questions on the roles of JPF and issues faced in responding to the Great East Japan Earthquake; the advantages of networking among local nonprofits, government agencies, and social welfare councils; relations between JPF and national and local governments; the activities of other NGOs and other organizations; and issues related to cooperation and communication in affected areas. Questions also addressed the disaster prevention efforts of JPF and other NGOs.

Prof. Lin hopes to continue interviewing various organizations, including those engaged in aid activities in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and organizations engaged in disaster prevention efforts in Japan. Plans call for survey results to be released through academic papers, reports, and other means.

It is our hope that sharing information on the activities of JPF and other Japanese nonprofits and NGOs, and knowledge gained from such activities will lead to appropriate disaster prevention and mitigation efforts across Asia.

Thanks to All Who Donated at the Miyagi Local Sake Tasting Event

19th July 2019 19:30

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My name is Ishizaki, and I’m from JPF.

On the evening of 16th July, I took part in a Miyagi local sake tasting event at Yuka Yamazaki’s dining showroom in Roppongi, PaRs. The local sake and food served at the event reminded me of participants’ deep love for their hometowns. I look forward to another event of this kind to be held soon.

Once again, attendees made generous donations to JPF. As conflict and disasters proliferate in Japan and around the world, the need for aid goes unmet. We are truly grateful to all those who donated. Their valuable funds will be put to effective use in aid activities.

Domestic Division blog post released: JPF Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Project: Report on Visit by Jessica Alexander

11th July 2019 19:30

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This JPF blog post introduces a report by Ms. Jessica Alexander on her 23rd-24th April 2019 tour of aid organizations of JPF Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Ms. Alexander (Fulbright Scholar; Visiting Researcher, Sophia University) lectures on humanitarian aid efficacy and accountability at New York University and at the Graduate School of Columbia University. She is highly experienced in evaluating and responding to humanitarian crises caused by natural disaster and human conflicts.

We encourage readers to learn more about Ms. Alexander’s thoughts on the two-day visit.

▼ Click here for the JPF blog post.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2019/07/11/130125

Thanks to All Those Who Donated at the 88th Japanese Sake Culture Event, an Event Launched for Aid to Tohoku

25th June 2019 19:30

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My name is Ishizaki, and I’m from JPF.
On 13th June, I took part in the 88th Japanese sake culture event, held at Hotel Wing International Premium Tokyo Yotsuya. This was the 88th iteration of such event, launched in February of the year after the Great East Japan Earthquake to aid sake brewers in the Tohoku region and held monthly ever since.

Based on the theme of enjoying Kikubijin sake from Fukuoka Prefecture and featuring a visit from popular female kodanshi (kodan storyteller) Ichika Tanabe, this meeting welcomed a capacity crowd of 65 participants.

It also welcomed as special guest Dr. Satoko Nachi, who procures medical aid for Myanmar. She spoke on aid activities in Myanmar.

Attendees donated to JPF activities. JPF will put these generous donations to effective use in activities to aid those affected by disasters. We appreciate your continued support.

A Prayer for Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake: An Exhibition of Works by Ito Jakuchu (Ending Soon)

2nd May 2019 21:00

An exhibition of works by Ito Jakuchu is being held through Monday, 6th May at the Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art to pray for recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Born to a greengrocer family in Kyoto in 1716, Jakuchu studied with the Kano School, Chinese paintings of the Song and Yuan dynasties, and other art forms, and eventually developed his own unique style.
This exhibition combines Jakuchu’s thoughts on seeing the ruins of Kyoto after the Great Fire of the Tenmei period in 1788 with prayers for the recovery of Fukushima, devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The fusuma sliding door painting “Lotus Pond” created by Jakuchu at Saifukuji Temple in Osaka, to which Jakuchu evacuated, embodies hopes for the recovery of his ruined hometown. (The lotus pond painting was exhibited 26th March through 14th April.)

The Voice of Those Affected in Fukushima: “Fukushima Speaks,” an Eyewitness Documentary, Now Screening

26th April 2019 19:30

“Fukushima Speaks” is an eyewitness documentary that gathers eyewitness accounts of 14 people from Fukushima, chosen from interviews with nearly 100 people affected by the nuclear accident in Fukushima conducted painstakingly over four years by Toshikuni Doi, an independent journalist who has produced documentaries on Palestine for many years.

According to Mr. Doi, if viewers find a speaker’s talk boring, the documentary is a failure. If viewers are drawn into the narrative and watch until the end, a documentary is a work with significance.
Mr. Doi’s direction underscores the power of words from affected people.

▼ Click here for information, including a summary of the film, cinemas where it’s currently showing, schedules, and how to request a showing.
http://www.doi-toshikuni.net/j/fukushima/

Domestic Division blog post uploaded: Hamadori of Fukushima Prefecture Now and in the Future (report meeting organized by JPF held on 5th March on the Coordination Project commissioned by the Reconstruction Agency)

30th March 2019 22:00

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On 11th March, Fukushima marked the eighth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Since fiscal 2017, in addition to Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, JPF has drawn on the Coordination Project commissioned by the Reconstruction Agency to support networking efforts among aid providers to address various topics, ranging from community revitalization in parts of Fukushima where evacuation orders have been lifted to living in poverty, an issue at risk of spreading across the whole prefecture. On 5th March, a meeting was held in Tokyo to report on related activities.

Guests currently involved in various activities to revitalize communities where life had been suspended by the disaster shared information on related issues and described their activities.
A shared view of those continuing activities in the region was the need to communicate information on their own regions themselves.

Titled “Fukushima Now and in the Future,” this post by Fujiwara of the JPF Domestic Division focuses on gaps between circulated information and reality.

We encourage readers to take a look.

▼ Click here for Fujiwara’s blog post.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2019/03/30/180230

Seminar on Creating Opportunities for Exchange and Mental Care to be Held Tomorrow

12th March 2019 16:35

Médecins du Monde, a nonprofit that provides mental care to affected people and evacuees in Fukushima, plans to hold a seminar on creating opportunities for exchange and mental care.

In addition to providing funding assistance to Médecins du Monde through the “Living Together” Fund, JPF provides networking support for aid organizations involved in mental care in Fukushima. JPF also supports this seminar.

The seminar is intended to consider mental care alongside participants by sharing information on experiences, lessons, and challenges related to the aid activities undertaken to date by Médecins du Monde.

The goals are to broaden the base of psychosocial aid by making it possible for even non-experts to get in touch with experts and learn about how support for building opportunities for exchange is linked to mental care in the broad sense. We encourage all those interested to participate.

Date and time: Wednesday, 13th March 2019 13:00-16:00
Location: Meeting Rooms 1, 2, and 3, Manabi no Mori, Tomioka Town Art & Media Center (622-1 Motooka Otsuka, Tomikoka-machi, Futaba-gun, Fukushima Prefecture)
Application: https://ssl.form-mailer.jp/fms/e74ac060610563
Or, apply by telephone or fax referring to the reverse side of the flyer.
Organizer: Médecins du Monde (MdM)
Cosponsors: Soma Wide-Area Mental Healthcare Center NAGOMI, Minpuku, Fukushima Cooperative Reconstruction Center
Support: Japan Platform (JPF), Fukushima Center for Disaster Mental Care

▼ See the following URL for more information.
https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2019/03/121108.html

Eight Years Since the Great East Japan Earthquake ②

11th March 2019 19:10

Reread the March 2013 message from Yoshitomo Nara.
https://www.japanplatform.org/contents/narayoshitomo/

Eight Years Since the Great East Japan Earthquake

11th March 2019 14:21

It’s been a full eight years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Once again, we want to express our sincere condolences for all those who died in the disaster and our best wishes for surviving family members.

The mission of the Japan Platform (JPF) is to listen to the voices of those who continue to live as evacuees and of those affected by the earthquake and nuclear accident, as well as to closely support and work hand in hand with each of them as they make progress on the road to recovery.

All members of JPF staff are profoundly grateful for the support provided to date.

Press Event on 5th March: Starting from zero: Hamadori community revitalization debrief meeting: Three years since the lifting of evacuation orders

23rd February 2019 22:00

Eight years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and about three years since residents who had evacuated following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident began returning home. Recovery activities by returned residents still continue, reflecting their hopes for community revitalization.

This meeting is intended to gain a better understanding of the current state and future outlook for recovery in the Hamadori area, based on reports on the current state of their hometowns from those active in hometown revival in Fukushima, from which they were evacuated and barred from returning for a certain period, as well as on community revitalization initiatives and future prospects.

Date and time: 5th March 2019 14:00-15:00
* After the report meeting, a reception approximately one hour long will be held to exchange business cards and speak freely with those presenting reports, including requests for interviews.
Location: C-WORK
4F, Kojimachi Central Building, 2-2-4 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Application: Admission free of charge. Please email your name, affiliation, title, and email address to the following address:
JPF Domestic Division (Tohoku Office), attn. Fujiwara: wataru.fujiwara@japanplatform.org
Tel: 022-399-7997, Fax: 022-399-7998
Language: Japanese
Organizer: Japan Platform (Domestic Division/Reconstruction Agency, Coordination Project for support of disaster-affected people)
* This report meeting is being held as a part of the Coordination Project to support disaster-affected people commissioned by the Reconstruction Agency.

▼ See the following URL for more information.
https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2019/02/211558.html

Press Event on 14th February (Thursday): Fukushima Disaster Eight Years On: What Does It Teach Us About Internal Displacement?

31st January 2019 23:00

Evacuation orders have been successively lifted across Fukushima. As the year 2020 approaches, memories of the disaster are fading, making current conditions hard to discern.

Fukushima’s complex current conditions, including the divisions between those who evacuated and those who did not and the divisions of communities and families, as well as employment instability and disaster-related mortality, suggest issues that we may very well face in the future, both in Japan and around the world.

Together with the issues of domestic displacement, how should we view Fukushima today? What lessons does it have for ourselves? How can we put the lessons of Fukushima to use?

It is our hope that this event will serve as an opportunity to hear insights on the issues from the perspective of expert eyewitnesses and the voices of the parties directly affected in Fukushima, based on domestic and international trends, and to consider and communicate other related information.

It is our hope that members of the media will participate as well.

Date and time: Thursday, 14th February 2019 13:30-14:30

Location: C-WORK, (4F, Kojimachi Central Building, 2-2-4 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Approx. 1 min. walk from Exit 6 of Hanzomon Station on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line, approx. 4 min. walk from Exit 3 of Kojimachi Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line

Language: Japanese
* Simultaneous interpretation (English) will be available for foreign media.

Application: Admission is free of charge.
Please contact the Japan Platform Public/Media Relations Division (tel. 03-6261-4035) directly or email info@japanplatform.org (use the subject header “7th Media Colloquium.” Clearly indicate your name, affiliation, title, and email address).

▼ See the following website for more information.
https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2019/01/291752.html

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Disaster Prevention Lessons for Heads of Local Governments (Fukushima Minyu Shimbun)

30th January 2019 12:00

The Fukushima Minyu Shimbun newspaper reported on the first Top 59 Fukushima disaster prevention lesson program held in Minami-soma. The program’s purpose was to teach heads of local governments, who lead disaster response efforts, on how to respond to emergencies.

This program involved a drill based on an imaginary town struck by an earthquake rating an upper six on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. Heads of local governments were informed that the disaster had resulted in 10 deaths, 100 injured people, and about one thousand evacuees.

Participants including Mayor Yuko Endo of the village of Kawauchi, Mayor Shiro Izawa of the town of Futaba, and Mayor Hiroshi Shinoki of the village of Katsurao considered policies with an eye one week into the future, including handling of evacuees and responding to secondary damage, and determined the priority of disaster response activities, all assuming roles of a disaster task force four days after the quake, when the focus of activities shifts from saving lives to aid for the living.

Then, in a mock press conference staged with the cooperation of Fukushima Minyu Shimbun and others, they answered realistic questions: “Did you make plans to respond to the possibility of heatstroke and other dangers in evacuation centers during summer?”

Mayor Endo, who led the evacuation of his entire village in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident, commented, “This was an important program. The role-playing reminded me of the earthquake and the associated circumstances. I noticed some new things, as well, including the importance of anticipating the future from the point of view of affected persons.”

▼ Fukushima Minyu Shimbun website:
https://www.minyu-net.com/

Domestic Division blog post: Fukushima Still Needs Volunteers: Saigai Fukkou Shien Volunteer Net

26th December 2018 19:00

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Even now, eight years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, each day sees overwhelming requests for volunteers in Fukushima.
Tsutomu Yamanaka of the Domestic Division wrote a blog post on the activities of Saigai Fukkou Shien Volunteer Net to meet the needs for volunteers through support from JPF’s “Living Together” Fund.
We encourage readers to take a look at this blog post to see what kinds of volunteers truly are in need today.

▼ Click here for Yamanaka’s blog post.
https://bit.ly/2UftfAS

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Fukushima Minyu Shimbun Reports on Fire Squads Made Up Chiefly of Town Employees in Areas Where Most Returnees are Senior Citizens and the Working Population is Small.

21st December 2018 19:00

Fukushima Minyu Shimbun reported on a shortage of volunteer firefighters in the town of Namie, where the evacuation order was lifted in March of last year.
Today in Namie, most returnees are senior citizens. Very few people of the working generation here can contribute to fire and disaster prevention efforts. The paucity of people with any experience in volunteer firefighting activities from before the disaster and the difficulty of finding time to train due to responsibilities of their regular work have created a shortage of volunteer firefighters. This is a major issue for the town.
While there has been no need to mobilize the volunteer squad, the article points to worry about the ability of the current squad to respond effectively if called to the site of a fire.
A man who joined a fire squad after moving from outside the prefecture to assist with recovery efforts is now in the town of Hiroo, working to develop a rescue drone. He talked about his wishes for future activities that if an industry related to advanced technologies takes root in the town through his firefighting activities, it will become possible for people to get jobs for the recovery of the town, which will then increase the numbers of young residents.

▼ Click here for the Fukushima Minyu Shimbun article.
https://www.minyu-net.com/news/sinsai/serial/0709/FM20181211-333116.php

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Yellow Handkerchiefs Embody Well-wishes for People’s Hometowns: Fukushima Minyu Shimbun

19th November 2018 21:00

Fukushima Minyu Shimbun reports that the Hosoya administrative district of the town of Futaba, where the evacuation order in response to the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant remains in effect, has presented 40 yellow handkerchiefs to the Yamakiya district in the town of Kawamata.
These yellow handkerchiefs, which embody well-wishes for people’s hometowns, are hung from a Japanese zelkova tree; those hung on the east side of the tree are for the people of Futaba and on the west side for the people of the Yamakiya district. The handkerchiefs stirred by the wind recall scenes from the film “The Yellow Handkerchief.”

Inspired by the film, this effort embodies the hopes of the communities to return to their hometowns someday. Manabu Takashima, chief of the Hosoya administrative district, says he hopes they will come to represent the ties linking Futaba and Yamakiya, Kawamata.

▼ Fukushima Minyu Shimbun website:
https://www.minyu-net.com/

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Fukushima Tree-planting Festival: A Starting Point for Linking the Forest to the Future: Fukushima Minyu Shimbun

6th November 2018 19:00

Fukushima Minyu Shimbun reports on a Fukushima tree-planting festival held on the 4th of this month in the city of Minamisoma, which sustained heavy damage during the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Three thousand people participated in this tree-planting festival--the first of its kind--based on the following theme: “Creating a forest of hope to link to the future,” in which 27,000 saplings including Japanese black pine were planted.
The goal is to revive the protective coastal woods heavily damaged by the tsunami.

As with recovery and reconstruction, it will take time for the saplings planted here to grow up to fulfill their function as a protective coastal forest.
The hope is that this initiative will help children learn about the importance of afforestation activities and that the trees planted in this festival will safeguard the future of the children.

New entry posted on the Domestic Division’s blog: Teaching Children about the Roots of Their Hometown of Kawauchi: Hands-on Experience Fishing for Char

31st October 2018 22:30

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As part of the Coordination Project to support disaster-affected people commissioned by the Reconstruction Agency, JPF is seeking to strengthen network infrastructures and develop human resources in areas of Hamadori, Fukushima Prefecture where evacuation orders have been lifted.
Tsutomu Yamanaka of the Domestic Division has written a blog post about the original landscape of the village of Kawauchi, which faces the threat of disappearing after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant, and about children experiencing the abundant natural surroundings of the village.

▼Click here for Yamanaka’s blog post.
https://bit.ly/2vsnVC5

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Seven and a Half Years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Number of Evacuees Remains at 58,000: Mainichi Shimbun

27th September 2018 23:00

Today, seven and a half years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Mainichi Shimbun reports that 58,000 people continue to live as evacuees.
While arrangements are proceeding to build the planned 30,000 units of public disaster housing, populations in the three affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima continue to age. The population aging rate exceeds the national average in more than 80 percent of affected municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture.
In Fukushima, in areas where evacuation orders have been lifted, a mere 20% of the original residents have returned. It appears it will take more time to achieve recovery in Fukushima and other prefectures of the Tohoku region.

Domestic Division blog post: Seeing Fukushima as a Living Example of Forced Relocation and Technological Disasters

30th August 2018 12:00

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Ana Mosneaga of the JPF Program Development Division participated in a workshop on domestic evacuee issues, held in London in late July. In this workshop, she presented on issues related to domestic evacuees, using Fukushima as an example.

Many might wonder about the relationship between domestic evacuees and JPF’s domestic projects. In fact, the domestic disasters to which JPF has responded, such as the Great East Japan Earthquake, Kumamoto Earthquake, and recent torrential downpours in western Japan, have all generated an outflow of domestic evacuees.

Many participants at the London workshop voiced their interest in the presentation, on learning more, and in obtaining copies of the presentation materials.
We encourage readers to take a look at Ana Mosneaga’s blog post.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2018/08/29/153716

High School Students from Affected Prefectures Meet to Forge Visions for Recovery: Fukushima Minyu Shimbun

26th August 2018 18:00

Fukushima Minyu Shimbun reports on a meeting between high school students from the cities of Minamisoma and Soma and eight high school students from the cities of Uki and Uto, which were heavily damaged by the Kumamoto Earthquake in April 2016.
The students took part in group discussions based on the theme, “What we can do as high school students who have experienced earthquakes.” Afterwards, they plan to tour the Soma area where recovery efforts are underway, seeking to articulate visions for recovery in Kumamoto.
“It was a really valuable experience to talk to high school students from Fukushima who went through the earthquake,” said a student from Kumamoto who took part in this event. “It once again raised our awareness of disaster prevention.”

Preparing for Future Domestic Disasters: JPF Efforts to Ensure the Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake Are Not Forgotten

29th July 2018 10:00

In addition to delivering aid in response to disasters and crises, JPF strives to ensure that the lessons from Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, ongoing since 11th March 2011, can be applied in disaster aid activities across the country.

For example, in providing aid to people affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake, activities following the emergency aid phase shifted to a focus on enhancing community capabilities, centered on human resource development for local nonprofits and strengthening organizational infrastructures to support these human resources, in cooperation with the Kumamoto Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (KVOAD). Training is also being provided to learn from areas affected by previous disasters, including the Great East Japan Earthquake.

In addition, in cooperation with third-party organizations including the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, the Sanaburi Foundation, and Dentsu Inc., we are verifying aid activities undertaken to date in the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake in an objective way. The findings are being summarized as recommendations for future domestic disasters.

Guest House Aotasou, a Center for Recovery in the Town of Namie, Slated to Open

19th June 2018 18:00

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Greetings, everyone.
My name is Komino. I am a co-chairperson at JPF. I would like to describe some of the topics I learned about on a visit to Fukushima last weekend.
Guest House Aotasou, an accommodations facility operated by the management of Namitomo, which also participates in JPF’s local networking co-creation project, will open at the end of June 2018. The population of Namie was about 21,000 people before the disaster. To date, even after the lifting of evacuation orders, fewer than 800 people have returned.

It will take time and effort for residents of Namie to return to their hometown. The process will involve cleaning up their homes, remodeling, confirming daily rhythms and infrastructures, and restarting their lives as families. Some of these tasks can be completed on day visits by residents who have evacuated elsewhere in the prefecture, but are very difficult to complete from outside the prefecture. Guest House Aotasou was inspired by inquiries about places to serve as a base for returnees and incomers from outside the prefecture. I spoke with Aotasou’s managers Izumi and Kobayashi.

They told me that this facility, which can accommodate up to 15 guests, seeks to establish ways in which people can work together in enjoyable ways while living in Namie--for example, by organizing regular parties and festivals for returnees and incomers to the community. It holds a wide range of events as it seeks to become a place where anyone can gather in Namie. Someone once said, I’m told: “The process of recovery will be complete when people return to this town, where the population once dropped to zero. What remains is community development.” It seems that the key to rebuilding a town whose entire population fled once is to make community building fun.

Instead of worrying too much about the details of recovery, young people will build a new Namie where at one point no one lived. I look forward to seeing the future of this town. Guest House Aotasou also has a Facebook page. They’d love to hear from anyone interested in their facility, at any time!

“Art to Heart” Great East Japan Earthquake Charity Exhibition Announced

2nd June 2018 12:00

The Art to Heart exhibition is being held at Gallery Echo-ann over an eight-day period from today, 2nd June, through 9th June. This is the 13th Art to Heart exhibition, an event that began when artists got together to respond to the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
This 13th exhibition is also the final one in Tokyo for a while.
Some of the sales from this charity event, in which outstanding artists donate sales of their works to aid affected areas, will be donated to JPF.
A JPF donation box has been set up at the exhibition.
Interested readers are encouraged to attend this exhibition to view works by these truly wonderful artists.

Location: Gallery Echo-ann
8F, Ginza Building, 3-3-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
http://echo-ann.jp
One minute from Exit C8/three minutes from Exit A13 of the Tokyo Metro Ginza Station
Five minutes from Exit 8 of the Tokyo Metro Ginza 1-chome Station

Domestic Division blog post: What Do We Tell Our Children? An Informal Conversation about Raising Children in Kawauchi

17th April 2018 12:00

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Is there anything you’d like to tell the children in your community?
In the village of Kawauchi, Futaba-gun, Fukushima Prefecture, where some 70% of the population has returned because its evacuation order was lifted relatively early, one-half of the children who once lived there have not returned. Here, an event was held as part of efforts to communicate the wonders of the village’s natural environment, its way of life, and a culture based on coexistence with nature. Tsutomu Yamanaka of JPF reports on this event from on site.
For details, see the Domestic Division blog by Japan Platform (JPF) staff.
https://bit.ly/33pe0JT

Secrets of Fukushima Published

3rd April 2018 10:58

Fukushima Prefecture has produced Secrets of Fukushima: Earthquake Memories and Connections, an educational manga for elementary school students intended to communicate the experiences and lessons of the disaster to the next generation.
According to Mainichi Shimbun , the lead characters are four fourth-graders, three boys and one girl, from the coastal Hamadori region, who meet after the earthquake in an evacuation center in the city of Koriyama. “Even kids can help out!” exclaims the girl, who lost her grandfather to the tsunami, calling the three boys to join her in aiding evacuees. Even after moving to new homes in different locations both inside and outside the prefecture, through their efforts to confront the disaster, the four continue to grow.
It’s an interesting read, even for adult readers.
All children entering elementary school this spring were born after the disaster.
JPF continues to provide aid to affected people and communicate information on the current state of affected areas via its website.

An Introduction to a JPF Aid Project: Activities of Mothers Who Chose to Live in Fukushima

12th March 2018 23:00

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What’s safe for our children to eat?

Food in Fukushima Prefecture is tested for radiation before shipping. All the same, people remain fearful of radiation, which is invisible and has no distinctive odor or feel. Perhaps this is especially true of mothers, who want to protect not just themselves, but their children.

Mother’s Radiation Lab Fukushima (Tarachine) is a nonprofit based in Onahama, Iwaki, which began radiation measurement activities to help address these concerns. Most of Tarachine’s staff members are women and mothers. Starting out with no knowledge of radiation whatsoever, they learned measurement techniques and, with grants from the JPF “Living Together” Fund, continued to enhance their equipment and techniques. Introduced below are activities of the people who chose to continue to live in Fukushima while measuring and learning about the source of their unease.
https://bit.ly/3d52O9H

Seven Years Since the Great East Japan Earthquake

11th March 2018 12:06

As of today, 11th March, it’s been a full seven years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Even now, many people are forced to live as evacuees under unforgiving living conditions. JPF expresses its sincere condolences for all those who perished as a result of the disaster. We will continue to give close support to each of those who continue to live as evacuees and those affected by the earthquake and the nuclear accident and work with them as we move along the road to recovery.

An Introduction to a JPF Aid Project: Communicating a Community’s History as a Fishing Village to Children Who Never Knew It

10th March 2018 23:00

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“Wow, fishermen are so cool!”
The people of Hisanohama in Hamadori, Fukushima once lived on fishing. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, due to the effects of the tsunami and nuclear power plant accident, the fisherpeople here were forced to voluntarily refrain from fishing. The numbers of those plying this trade in the next generation continue to decline. Apparently, growing numbers of children born and raised in the Hisanohama area do not even know that their hometown was once a fishing village. Should this continue, it may be that there will not be enough fisherpeople here and the fishing-based community will dissolve. Eventually, that would lead to the fall of the town.

In response, to revitalize Hisanohama, Wunder ground, a nonprofit whose activities have been based in Iwaki, has risen up with grants from the JPF “Living Together” Fund. At a fishing-related event held to stimulate the community, children could be heard exclaiming “Wow, fishermen are so cool!” See the JPF website for details of these activities.
https://bit.ly/2wdjbk3

A Great East Japan Earthquake Event Announced

5th March 2018 23:00

On 21st March (Wednesday, a holiday), the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan), a JPF member NGO, will hold a discussion event on current conditions at Fukushima: “Seven Years Since the Earthquake: The Joy of Returning and the Resolve Not to Return.”
Date and time: 21st March 2018 (Wednesday, a holiday), 14:00-16:00 (doors open at 13:30)
Venue: Exchange Space, 6F, AAR Office
(6F, Mizuho Building, 2-12-2 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)
Two minutes’ walk from Meguro Station on the JR, Tokyu Meguro, Tokyo Metro Namboku, and Toei Mita lines
Admission: 1,000 yen
Capacity: 60 persons (first come, first served; please apply in advance)

A Discussion Event, “The Earthquake Isn’t Over: Minamisoma Today,” Announced for 9th March

16th February 2018 13:00

Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA), a JPF member NGO, will hold a discussion event titled “The Earthquake Isn’t Over: Minamisoma Today.”
Soon, seven years will have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. In the Odaka district of the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, a mere 20% of the original residents have returned since the evacuation order due to the nuclear accident was lifted one and a half years ago.
Amid fear and confusion since the earthquake, Manabiai Minamisoma has continued to play a leading role in community rebuilding and efforts to ensure safe lives for children. Why not join Manabiai Minamisoma representative Mikako Takahashi in considering the issues facing Minamisoma and what we can do now?

● Date and time: 9th March 2018 (Friday) 19:00-20:30
● Venue: Tokyo Office, Shanti Volunteer Association, 1F, Jibo Kaikan
● Admission: Free of charge
● Theme: Learning about current conditions in areas affected by the nuclear accident and seeking new possibilities for aid and cooperation

An Introduction to the Realities of the Great East Japan Earthquake

19th February 2018 17:00

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
This latest post introduces three challenges in the field of aid in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. Even now, nearly eight years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, people still face various challenges in the affected areas on the road to recovery.
We encourage readers to take a look.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2018/02/19/110253

A Thank-you Message to Those Who Participated in the JPF Sixth Media Colloquium: Fukushima Seven Years Later: Three Proposals to Link Mental Care Efforts

13th February 2018 23:00

JPF held a media colloquium today in a meeting room of the Reconstruction Agency, where numerous attendees, including 10 media members, gathered to exchange opinions. Thanks to all those who participated!
JPF continues to strengthen its aid efforts for Fukushima even now, seven years after it began providing aid on site from the day of the 11th March earthquake. At this event, JPF presented information on the current phase of mental care. In addition, three proposals from the field for those outside Fukushima were presented by experts who have continued to run a mental care project and frequented for the seven years the regions of Hamadori, Fukushima, where evacuation orders have been lifted. Details will be introduced on the website at a later date. Don’t miss it!

Press Event Starting at 14:00 on 13th February (Tuesday): JPF Sixth Media Colloquium: Fukushima Seven Years Later: Three Proposals to Link Mental Care Efforts

9th February 2018 23:00

It’s been seven years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Fukushima has entered a new phase, in which the practical effects of the rapid lifting of evacuation orders over the past year or two mingle with existing topics specific to Fukushima.

How have people affected by the 11th March disaster confronted the need for mental care over the past seven years? What will they need in the future?

JPF has continually strengthened its aid efforts on behalf of Fukushima throughout the seven years since it began providing aid on site on the day of the 11th March earthquake. At this event, it will present information on the current phase of mental care. In addition, three proposals from the field for those outside of Fukushima will be presented by experts who have continued to run a mental care project and frequented for the seven years the regions of Hamadori, Fukushima, where evacuation orders have been lifted.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Date and time: 13th February (Tuesday) 14:00-15:00
Location: Executive Meeting Room (621), 6F, Reconstruction Agency, Central Government Building No. 4
Application: Admission free of charge. Please email info@japanplatform.org (enter the subject header “6th Media Colloquium” and clearly state your name, affiliation, title, and email address).

1. The JPF Coordination Project commissioned by the Reconstruction Agency and changes in phases in Fukushima mental care (Tsutomu Yamanaka/Representative of JPF Domestic Division in Fukushima)
2. The goals of the three proposals to link mental care efforts in Fukushima (Koichi Tamate/Médecins du Monde)
3. Three proposals to link mental care efforts in Fukushima: Communications from the field
(Takako Okawa/Director, The Association for Establishing a New Psychiatric Care, Health and Welfare System in Soso; Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Fukushima Medical University)
(Kayo Fushimi/Public Health Nurse, Soma Wide-Area Mental Healthcare Center NAGOMI)
(Ippei Kowata/Volunteer, Médecins du Monde; psychiatrist)
(Kayo Fushimi/Public Health Nurse, Soma Wide-Area Mental Healthcare Center NAGOMI)
(Village of Kawauchi: Keiko Ikari/Public Health Nurse, Health and Welfare Section, Health and Welfare Department, Village of Kawauchi)
(Town of Namie: Nahoko Kobayashi/Coordinator for Namie and Odaka, JPF Reconstruction Agency Coordination Project)
(Odaka District: Yuko Hirohata/Coordinator for Odaka, JPF Reconstruction Agency Coordination Project; Odaka Platform)
4. Open discussion, questions and answers

A Thank-you Message for Those Who Took Part in the Live Talk and Workshop Event: “Fukushima Discussion Night: Learning about Today and Envisioning Tomorrow”

29th January 2018 23:07

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On the evening of the 29th, JPF held “Fukushima Discussion Night: Learning about Today and Envisioning Tomorrow,” a live talk and workshop event.
JPF is grateful to the thirty people who attended the event, as well as the speakers, Shinichiro Ohara (General Manager, Sendai Office, AAR Japan), Kaoru Suzuki (Director, Mother’s Radiation Lab Fukushima [Tarachine]), and Takayuki Nitta (General Manager, Facilities Division, Sendai Yomawari Group), who addressed the theme of current events, activities, and conditions in Fukushima today.

In a workshop held during the second half of this event, participants sat at tables together and came up with new ideas for a menu of choices of what can be done to envision the future of Fukushima. JPF will continue to support people in Fukushima and other prefectures of the Tohoku region.

JPF to Hold “Fukushima Discussion Night: Learning about Today and Envisioning Tomorrow” on 29th January

25th January 2018 13:00

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The upcoming date of 11th March will be the seventh since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
How are people affected by the disaster living their lives today?

What’s happening in Fukushima today? Are these conditions unique to Fukushima? Let’s learn about today’s situation to envision our society for tomorrow.
These and other topics will be discussed in Fukushima Discussion Night: Learning about Today and Envisioning Tomorrow, a live talk and workshop event to be held by JPF on Monday, 29th January.

One of the three organizations that will take the podium in this event is the Sendai Yomawari Group, which receives grants from the JPF “Living Together” Fund.
Takayuki Nitta, General Manager of the Facilities Division, will speak at this event.

The Sendai Yomawari Group was established by local residents to prevent deaths on the streets or in isolation. It strives to aid the homeless, whose numbers have grown in Sendai since the Great East Japan Earthquake. On the day of the event, Mr. Nitta will discuss local issues identified through day-to-day activities and its future activities.

[Date and time] Monday, 29th January, 19:00-21:00 (doors open at 18:30)
[Venue] Patia Kojimachi
(Three minutes’ walk from Kojimachi Station, four minutes’ walk from Hanzomon Station on the Tokyo Metro)
[To apply] Please go to the URL below to apply (deadline 26th January/free admission).

[Program]
19:00- Opening
19:10- Live talk: What’s happening in Fukushima today
・ Shinichiro Ohara (General Manager, Sendai Office, AAR Japan)
・ Kaoru Suzuki (Director, Mother’s Radiation Lab Fukushima [Tarachine])
・ Takayuki Nitta (General Manager, Facilities Division, Sendai Yomawari Group)
20:15- Workshop: creating together a menu of choices of what can be done and presentations

【NEW reports now available online】

27th December 2017 22:52

The FY 2016 English version report for the aid program in Great Earth Japan Earthquake, and the aid program in Kumamoto Earthquakes has been published and can be downloaded from the JPF website.

JPF will continue its aid program at these areas listening to the voices of those affected by the disasters.

▼Aid to Victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake FY 2016 Report
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/lib/data/rpt_tohoku2016en.pdf

▼Aid to Victim of the Kumamoto Earthquakes FY 2016 Report
https://www.japanplatform.org/programs/pdf/JPF_kyushu-disaster2016_report_en.pdf

Thanks to All Those Who Donated through AEON Bank’s “Fundraiser to Aid Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake”

22nd December 2017 23:00

• Hiroyuki Watanabe, President, AEON Bank, Ltd. (at right) ©JPF

On 19th December, AEON Bank representatives visited the JPF office for a ceremony to present donations collected through “Fundraiser to Aid Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake” operated as part of the bank’s social contribution efforts.

These donations were contributed by users through the donations menu on AEON Bank ATMs set up in AEON stores, in train stations, and in other public facilities across Japan.

As a recipient of the bank’s program, Japan Platform has continued to accept donations since immediately after the earthquake struck in 2011. Even today, nearly seven years after the earthquake, the number of users contributing donations continues to grow.

All JPF staff members express their sincere gratitude to the many ATM users who donated and the efforts of AEON Bank, which organizes this program.
We will maintain our aid activities, in part to communicate to those affected by the disaster the thoughts and concerns of these donators.

▼ Click here for information on JPF’s efforts.
http://www.japanplatform.org/company/

NHK Reports Positive Response from International Olympic Committee Members to Dishes Made Using Ingredients from Affected Areas

13th December 2017 23:00

According to an NHK report, International Olympic Committee (IOC) members at an official dinner were served dishes prepared with ingredients from three prefectures affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake--Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima. In light of plans to make the 2020 Olympics the disaster-recovery Olympics--one of the themes of the Games--guests were served course meals, light dishes, and sake made using ingredients from the three prefectures.
The disaster-recovery Olympics is now slated to be held a little more than three years from now.

Thanks to All Those Who Participated in the First JPF Day: Report Meeting on JPF’s 2017 Activities

8th December 2017 18:45

• A presentation on Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake ©JPF
• JPF Co-Chair Toshio Arima makes a closing address at the meeting ©JPF
• ©JPF

The First JPF Day, a meeting that reports on JPF’s activities in 2017, was held on 7th December at the TKP Akasaka Station Conference Center in Tokyo. The event welcomed more than 140 attendees, including some 110 representatives from NGOs, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations involved in JPF activities on a daily basis and about 30 JPF Secretariat personnel. Thanks to all those who took part!

At this meeting, alongside moderator Daisuke Furuta, founding editor of BuzzFeed Japan, JPF Secretariat personnel reported on international aid and emergency responses and on the year’s activities in response to the Kumamoto and Great East Japan earthquakes. Rina Ito served as emcee. Their gentle smile and friendly banter helped ease the tension of JPF staff presenting the reports, who could feel more relaxed than they had expected.

Participants reacted positively to the meeting. “I’d like to hear more,” said one; “The reports were clear and understandable. The meeting was very meaningful,” said another. These encouraging words will help inspire us in our preparations for the Second JPF Day.
Thank you for your continuing support!

2017 Great East Japan Earthquake Archives Symposium: The Meaning of Archiving in Prefectures Affected by the Disaster (11th January, Sendai)

17th December 2017 23:00

At Tohoku University on 11th January 2018, the National Diet Library and the Tohoku University International Research Institute of Disaster Science will hold the 2017 Great East Japan Earthquake Archives Symposium: The Meaning of Archiving in Prefectures Affected by the Disaster.
Admission is free of charge. Please click on the link below if you’re interested.
http://www.current.ndl.go.jp/node/34929

Thanks to All Those Who Participated in the Japanese Sake Culture Event

30th October 2017 23:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF

On 20th October, I took part in the 68th Japanese sake culture event held at Hotel Wing International Premium Tokyo Yotsuya. A capacity crowd of 70 people braved the chill and rain to attend this event. Once again, a donation box was set up in the venue to help raise funds for Japan Platform’s humanitarian aid efforts. JPF will make effective use of these generous donations to aid refugees from Syria and Iraq, displaced persons in Myanmar, and to support aid efforts in Fukushima, an area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. We sincerely appreciate your support.

Future Leaders in Disaster Prevention from ASEAN Nations Visit JPF

27th October 2017 22:55

• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF

On 24th October, JPF welcomed 20 visitors from the AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme, organized by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), to train future leaders in government agencies involved in disaster prevention in ASEAN nations.

As a hub for humanitarian and disaster aid in the ASEAN region, the AHA Centre coordinates and supports emergency humanitarian aid activities. This year marked the third time of visits to JPF by Centre trainees in Japan. Their goal is to learn about Japan’s disaster prevention systems and to exchange perspectives on the possibility of cooperation with ASEAN nations.

On the day of their visit, using the Great East Japan and Kumamoto earthquakes as examples, JPF introduced its systems and shared information on topics like mobilization in the event of disasters and criteria for aid decision-making. Other activities on this inspirational visit included discussions of the potential of future cooperation with ASEAN nations; sharing information on the activities of NGOs and government in each country in response to a disaster; and sharing the difficulties of coordination.

Thanks to all who visited. We hope this visit will lead to further cooperation in disaster prevention and humanitarian aid with ASEAN nations.

Charity Concert to Support Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake Held by AAR Japan

17th October 2017 23:00

The following introduces an activity by a JPF member NGO:
On 14th December, the NGO AAR Japan, a member of JPF, will hold a charity concert at Tokyo Opera City (in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward) in support of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Two top French musicians, Eric Aubier (trumpet player) and Thierry Escaich (pipe organist) will visit Japan to perform together at this concert.
This activity presents a wonderful opportunity for music lovers to support aid to those affected by the disaster while at the same time also enjoy a concert.
http://www.aarjapan.gr.jp/join/event/2017/1214_2378.html

Domestic Division blog post: The Latest from Odaka District, Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture

16th October 2017 23:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
This blog post provides the latest news from the Odaka district, Minamisoma-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, an area blessed by the sea, mountains, and river, with old shrines and other historical sites as well as its wonderful inhabitants.
We encourage readers to take a look at this blog post, which discusses the gradual return of former residents to the area, including schoolchildren sightings here and there and the emergence of new stores.

http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/10/16/112156

11th October Marks Six Years and Seven Months since the Great East Japan Earthquake

11th October 2017 23:00

The JPF continues to provide aid to the Tohoku region and asks you all for continuing generous support for its activities.
Today, six years and seven months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, NHK News reported on the feelings held by people across Miyagi Prefecture.

◆ A police search was conducted today on the beach of Minamisanriku-cho, Miyagi Prefecture, a town severely damaged by the tsunami, to track clues concerning people who remain missing after disappearing in the disaster.
◆ In the city of Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, and other participants held a large-scale training exercise to simulate an emergency tsunami response.
◆ In the Magaki district of Ishinomaki-shi, Miyagi Prefecture, where nearly half of the population perished in the tsunami following the earthquake, residents praying for lost family members were seen in front of a memorial monument completed just this month. The Magaki district is located upstream from Okawa Elementary School, where many children died in the disaster. The tsunami killed 74 people, or nearly one-half of the district’s population, including the elementary school students.
◆ A man putting his hands together silently before blooming cosmos was seen at the location where his wife’s body had been found in Yamamoto-cho, Miyagi Prefecture, another town that suffered significant tsunami damage.
◆ The first leek harvest following the tsunami took place in new fields planted on elevated land in Kesennuma-shi, Miyagi Prefecture.

NHK website
https://bit.ly/2S8niom

Donating to Help Those Affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake through a Charity Brand

21st September 2017 23:00

SAMURAI CUT, a fashion brand that sells charity items, has chosen JPF to be a recipient of donations to support aid in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.
SAMURAI CUT donates 10% of the sales of each item to organizations active in aid activities around the world.

Buyers can choose to support or donate to organizations active in environmental protection, disaster aid, educational assistance, or medical assistance. Donations from those who choose disaster aid are made to JPF’s Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.

SAMURAI CUT items feature a map of the world embroidered on their sleeves. Buyers can choose to have their locations and those of aid recipients indicated on the map when they place an order.

See below for more information on SAMURAI CUT, which adopts a problem-solving approach by linking fashion to charity.
http://samuraicut.com/

Domestic Division blog post: 2017 Summer Events

19th September 2017 23:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
In “2017 Summer Events,” the latest blog post, Manager Yukihiko Akutsu writes about his participation in the Matsurubeyama Joumon-Honoo Matsuri festival and in the marine survey conducted by Mother’s Radiation Lab Fukushima (Tarachine), a JPF grant recipient. We encourage readers to take a look at the blog post to learn more about this sacred ceremony in honor of Ainu spirits, as well as Akutsu’s experiences as a volunteer angler based on his more than 20 years’ experience angling for flounder.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/09/15/152127

NHK Reports on 3.11 Future Support Association in Ishinomaki

15th September 2017 23:00

NHK reported on 3.11 Future Support Association in Ishinomaki, an organization that has received JPF grants. JPF has provided support for projects related to the Tsunagu Hall space, where people come to talk about their experiences. Go to the following website to view comments submitted by Masaharu Nakagawa of 3.11 Future Support Association in Ishinomaki to JPF.
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/tomoniikiru/support.html

Today Marks Six and a Half Years since the Great East Japan Earthquake

11th September 2017 18:00

JPF continues to aid those affected by the disaster.
In particular, it’s enhancing its aid efforts in Fukushima.
Evacuation orders have been lifted in many areas of Fukushima Prefecture, including Iitate and Namie. But this has brought new issues to light. Recovery in Fukushima Prefecture, which faces numerous challenges, is expected to take time.

In about 70% of the areas where evacuation orders have been lifted, the rate of return has been 20% or less, and more than 70% of the returning evacuees are elderly. In light of these difficult realities, activities are focusing on five priority themes: aid to socially disadvantaged people; strengthening local safety nets; sustaining regional culture; addressing concerns about radiation; and facilitation of locally-led networks.
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/lib/data/rpt_tohoku2016en.pdf

Domestic Division blog post: Looking Up to the Night Sky while Recalling the Past Six Years

25th August 2017 22:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF
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JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
In this blog post, one staff member who took part in a fireworks show in Tomioka describes the thoughts which occurred to him while watching people looking up into the night sky of their hometown.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/08/22/131117

First Fireworks Show in Seven Years Held in Iitate, Fukushima

21st August 2017 13:00

On 19th August, the village of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, where evacuation orders were lifted for the most part of the village this past spring, held its first fireworks show in seven years. The report describes the villagers cheering as some 250 fireworks transformed the night sky of their hometown.
Six years after the earthquake, JPF continues to stand by those affected by the disaster who live their lives under various conditions with various thoughts in their minds.

Domestic Division blog post: Sendai’s Gorgeous Tanabata Festival Is Coming Soon!

29th July 2017 23:00

• ©Sendai Tanabata Festival Support Association
• ©Sendai Tanabata Festival Support Association

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
This blog post reports on Sendai Tanabata Festival and provides beautiful photos of the event.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/07/28/175523

Domestic Division blog post: Forum Held to Think about Means of Transportation for Sustainable Lifestyles

15th June 2017 15:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF
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JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
This blog post describes a forum (a JPF funded project) organized by Rera, a JPF grant recipient organization.
The Great East Japan Earthquake caused dramatic changes in infrastructure in the three prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima, resulting in the need for recovery aid activities to secure the means of transportation necessary for daily life. We encourage readers to have a look at this forum in which participants thought about related efforts together.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/06/15/104254

Domestic Division blog post: Tarachine Clinic Opens June 1

5th June 2017 15:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
This blog post describes an open house at a clinic opened by Mother’s Radiation Lab Fukushima (Tarachine), a JPF grant recipient nonprofit organization.
This clinic offers an environment where patients can feel free to talk about even their slightest concerns, to which clinic staff do their best to respond. We encourage readers to take a look at the blog post to learn about the medical personnel at the clinic and their viewpoints.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/06/02/151917

Domestic Division blog post: A Visit to Kizuna, the Sakae Village Museum for Recovery from the Northern Nagano Earthquake

19th May 2017 18:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
Have you heard about the village of Sakae, Nagano Prefecture, where some 80% of the population had to evacuate following a 6.7 magnitude inland earthquake (Northern Nagano Earthquake/Sakae Earthquake) on 12th March 2011, the day after the Great East Japan Earthquake? The area of the village is referred to as the forgotten affected area, left hidden in the shadows of the March 11 earthquake.

Ikeza of the JPF Domestic Division updated the blog today with a post about a visit on a day off to the Kizuna Sakae Village Museum for Recovery from the Northern Nagano Earthquake.
One comment from a resident on the blog: “The damage caused here was so much less than in affected areas in the Tohoku region, so in some ways it’s inevitable the earthquake which struck the village would be forgotten. But we hope people won’t forget about us or about this area and that they’ll come to visit. It’s a wonderful place.”
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/05/19/165544

Domestic Division blog post: A Report on Monitoring Activities to Learn about Invisible Things and Check on Them One at a Time

11th May 2017 11:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF
• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
This blog post describes activities by the JPF grant recipient nonprofit organization Mother’s Radiation Lab Fukushima (Tarachine) including measurement of radiation and visitation thyroid examinations conducted together with physicians in communities where numerous residents have requested such examinations.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/05/08/123703

Domestic Division blog post: The View from the Window of the Tohoku Office

18th April 2017 18:00

• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
This post shows the changing seasons as seen from the window of the JPF Tohoku Office.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/04/18/103219

Early Flowering Cherry Blossoms in Sendai

12th April 2017 23:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF

The photo today shows cherry blossoms in the Tohoku region.
A JPF Tohoku Office staff member snapped this shot of the early flowering cherry blossoms at night, showing how beautiful cherry blossoms can be even up close. Did you notice the full moon in the background?

▼ Japan Platform (JPF) is now seeking organizations to receive grants under the “Living Together” Fund. The deadline for applications is 11th May.
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/tomoniikiru/

Domestic Division blog post: Selected Articles about the Earthquake

3rd April 2017 11:00

• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog. In this post, the staff in Miyagi report on current conditions in the affected areas through articles related to the earthquake, which increase in number around March 11 every year. Recovery has advanced, as the number of articles related to the earthquake has decreased. However, recovery is hard to judge; it is not a simple matter of whether an area has recovered or failed to recover. Particularly in Fukushima, where the goals of recovery remain hard to discern, the need for long-term aid persists. The staff in Miyagi summarize this view in this blog post.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/03/31/161112

Domestic Division blog post: A Report on Observation of Minpuku’s Project to Support Community-building Efforts

18th March 2017 11:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
In this post, the staff in Fukushima report on their observations of Minpuku’s project intended to boost community-building efforts in Fukushima (supported by a grant from the Toyota Foundation).
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/03/17/110555

7th Year of Our Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Messages from the JPF Domestic Division Manager and Staff in Charge of the Three Affected Prefectures

11th March 2017 13:00

A full six years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
In the seventh year after the earthquake, as a humanitarian aid organization, Japan Platform will continue to give close support to local residents in the affected areas, asking them about what they need and ascertaining what aid truly is necessary and what gaps still remain.

Once again, all members of JPF staff wish to take this opportunity to thank our donors for their generous contributions and to ask for their continuing understanding and support.

http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/

LINE Begins Offering Tohoku Recovery Donation Stamps, with JPF Named as One Donation Recipient

9th March 2017 11:31

On 2nd March, the social media app LINE began selling SMILE Tohoku Support LINE Characters, donation stamps users can use to donate to aid in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. Donation recipients for these stamps include five activities underway in the Tohoku region by JPF and other organizations. Users may purchase and download SMILE Tohoku Support LINE Characters through 4th April.

Launched in June 2011 in response to the experience of many who were unable to contact loved ones in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the LINE communication app helps people connect with friends and family using their smartphones. We encourage readers to contribute to recovery of the Tohoku region by buying these heartwarming stamps, which feature various smiling LINE characters.

▼ You can download stamps from the links below.
iOS
https://line.me/S/sticker/8092
Android
https://line.me/S/sticker/8091

▼ Click on the links for more information.
LINE official blog
http://official-blog.line.me/ja/archives/69238911.html
LINE press release
https://linecorp.com/ja/pr/news/ja/2017/1670

Fourth JPF Media Colloquium Held: The Current Phase of JPF Aid to Fukushima

24th February 2017 23:01

On 21st February, JPF held a media colloquium titled “The Current Phase of JPF Aid to Fukushima,” welcoming 10 media representatives from newspapers, television, the Web, and companies.

Both the media and aid organizations are daily seeking ways to communicate information on Fukushima, which faces complex and long-term challenges. JPF shared its own information on the comprehensive changes in the phases of aid to date in Fukushima, gaps between need and aid given, and five priority areas for future aid to Fukushima based on analysis made with United Nations experts. JPF also reported firsthand opinions of local nonprofits funded by JPF. This is information that JPF, which mobilized in Fukushima immediately after the earthquake struck, is uniquely positioned to provide.

Individuals presenting at the colloquium
・ Tsutomu Yamanaka, Representative of JPF Domestic Division in Fukushima
・ Kaoru Suzuki (Mother’s Radiation Lab Fukushima [Tarachine])
・ Koichi Tamate (Médecins du Monde Japon)
・ Kayo Fushimi (The Association for Establishing a New Psychiatric Care, Health and Welfare System in Soso)
・ Kazumi Sawada (Foster Care for Infants, Children and Adolescents in FUKUSHIMA)
・ Hajime Inoue (Yuinoki)

The colloquium also featured numerous questions from media representatives and a lively exchange of opinions. JPF will enhance its aid to Fukushima. It plans to maintain the aid provided in this area through the end of 2018 at minimum.
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2017/02/101751.html

Domestic Division blog post: Recommended Events and Places for Feeling Closer to the Tohoku Region in Everyday Life

9th February 2017 17:30

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog. In this post, Kawamura introduces some spots that will provide people in Tokyo with a more vivid sense of Tohoku, ranging from those related to art, photographs, and fish to a debriefing meeting held by the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan, an organization involved in local aid activities.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/02/09/103204

Press Release: From Tohoku, Kobe, Chuetsu, and Worldwide to Kumamoto: Funded Training Project to Link Recovery Experiences and Knowledge to Start on 17th February

2nd February 2017 17:00

On 17th February, JPF will start a funded training project in the city of Kumamoto for nonprofit organizations working to aid affected areas of Kumamoto Prefecture.

The goal of this project is to boost recovery in Kumamoto through the power of its own communities. Instructors experienced in large-scale natural disasters in East Japan, Kobe, and elsewhere share their knowledge and experience in solving recovery-related issues as well as other need-to-know information with Kumamoto residents.

JPF has deployed more than 1,200 aid projects in 46 countries and regions to date. Drawing on this experience, training included discussions of issues in on-site domestic aid activities and perspectives on those vulnerable to disaster in light of international standards for disaster aid. Participating organizations also will be provided with opportunities for networking before disasters strike.

This project is organized by the Sanaburi Foundation (of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture) on the JPF’s behalf. See the homepage below for more information.
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2017/02/020900.html

Domestic Division blog post: Various Workshops Held in Fukushima

27th January 2017 11:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog. In this post, staff in charge of Fukushima describe some workshops held in Fukushima following the lifting of evacuation orders, by Genki ni Narou Fukushima, Katsuryoku-Souzousya, Shinmachi-namie, and Tomioka 3/11 wo Kataru Kai.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/01/26/110135

Symposium Slated for 20th January on How Archives on the Great East Japan Earthquake Have Changed

11th January 2017 13:27

The National Diet Library and the Tohoku University International Research Institute of Disaster Science will hold a symposium at Tohoku University (in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture) on the ever-deepening and evolving records of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Plans call for a special lecture and a panel discussion involving Professor Andrew Gordon of the Harvard University Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, who has been active in archiving efforts since immediately after the earthquake struck. Professor Gordon will discuss the evolution and deepening of earthquake archives over the past six years.
The symposium will be held 13:00-16:30 on Friday, 20th January.
▼ Click here to see more information and to apply.
http://kn.ndl.go.jp/static/2016/11/22?language=ja

Domestic Division blog post: Sustainable Disaster Mitigation

8th January 2017 11:00

• ©JPF
• ©JPF

JPF staff members describe domestic aid activities on the JPF Domestic Division blog.
The Domestic Division Manager Akutsu wrote this year’s New Year post.

The post’s themes are sustainable disaster mitigation and seawalls, efforts to minimize damage due to natural disasters. The goal is to minimize, if not entirely avoid, damage in the event of natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunami. The blog post reports on a drive around Miyagi with Professor Hiroshi Asanuma, who studies artificial systems science at the Chiba University Graduate School of Engineering.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2017/01/06/103029

Kahoku Shimpo Reports Roughly 70% of Businesses Continue Recovery Aid

7th January 2017 17:00

Based on a survey by the Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), a report by the Kahoku Shimponewspaper indicates roughly 70% of major businesses continue to provide recovery aid.

Employee volunteer activities account for the largest share of such aid (42%), followed by monetary donations, at 35%. The newspaper also noted that companies clearly identify recovery aid as part of their corporate social responsibilities (CSR) and connect it to long-term initiatives.

The survey is undertaken annually by the Keidanren and the 1% Club (of Tokyo), a voluntary association that allocates 1% of ordinary income or disposable income to activities to contribute to society, based on surveys of members of both organizations.

Sharing Earthquake Experiences in Ishinomaki: Eleven Disaster Management Experts from Afghanistan Visit Japan (Part 3)

25th November 2016 18:49

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On 23rd November, led by Vice-Minister Mohammad Aslam Sayas, 16 disaster management experts from the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA*) toured Ishinomaki as part of their current visit to Japan.

On the day of this visit, they first heard from the Peace Boat Center Ishinomaki on various issues, including the features and conditions of Ishinomaki before the disaster, the scale of the earthquake, the state of the tsunami that struck 30-40 minutes after the tremblor, the differences in tsunami damage resulting from geographical features, and the extent of the damage.

The recovery process was explained, citing a seafood processing plant as an example: The staff emphasized that cooperation with administrators and government, not just the efforts of those affected, was essential to addressing issues like obtaining raw materials, securing manpower, and restoring lost trading partners.
People recounted experiences at Tsunagu Hall, a facility opened by a local citizens’ group in Ishinomaki.

The visiting experts also walked around Ishinomaki while carrying tablets that make it possible to view both the past (i.e., status before earthquake) and the future (i.e., status after recovery) for specific locations. Standing before sites like the river embankments along the former course of the Kitakami River and condominiums and public housing complexes designated as evacuation sites, the visiting experts asked specific and pointed questions: Which part will be raised to construct an embankment? Will stairs be used instead of ladders in the event of an evacuation?

● The purpose of JPF’s Afghanistan Humanitarian Aid 2016 program is to strengthen community resilience through disaster prevention and mitigation; to share knowledge between Afghanistan and Japan on disaster prevention; and to build strong ties to facilitate effective joint efforts between NGOs in both countries in the event of a disaster.
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2016/10/311728.html

* Office of State Minister for Disaster Management, formerly the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA)

Sharing Earthquake Experiences in Sendai: Eleven Disaster Management Experts from Afghanistan Visit Japan (Part 2)

24th November 2016 9:53

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In Sendai yesterday and the day before, led by Vice-Minister Mohammad Aslam Sayas, 16 disaster management experts from the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA*) currently visiting Japan heard from disaster experts based in the Tohoku region on issues like the lessons learned from experiences of the Great East Japan Earthquake, related research results, and measures to improve resilience.

At Sendai City Hall, Planning and Promotion Department Manager Takahashi of the Disaster and Environmental Urban Planning Promotion Office in the Sendai Urban Development Bureau discussed various topics, including the current state of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and disaster prevention and mitigation efforts undertaken through multi-stakeholder cooperation centered on Sendai.

At Tohoku University, Prof. Ono of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science spoke on efforts to enable future use of records and memories of the disaster. For the visiting experts, Prof. Ono screened “TSUNAMI, The 3.11: Memories for the Future,” a 3D film created to vividly convey the experience of the disaster to future generations. Associate Professor Erick Mas discussed the lessons learned on minimizing tsunami damage from the perspective of research to assess disaster damage.
With participants sharing experiences of disasters, each and every day features enthusiastic question and answer sessions and discussion.

● For media members: Click here for a detailed schedule.
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2016/10/311728.html

● The purpose of JPF’s Afghanistan Humanitarian Aid 2016 program is to strengthen community resilience through disaster prevention and mitigation; to share knowledge between Afghanistan and Japan on disaster prevention; and to build strong ties to facilitate effective joint efforts between NGOs in both countries in the event of a disaster.
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2016/10/311728.html

* Office of State Minister for Disaster Management, formerly the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA)

JPF English webpage of "Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake" has been updated

18th November 2016 23:00

JPF English website page, "Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake" has been updated. You can find the current state of aid to the area, our continuation of aid to Fukushima, and the voice from local people etc.

http://www.japanplatform.org/E/programs/east-japan.html

Domestic Division blog post: A Report on the Childline National Forum 2016 in Fukushima

17th November 2016 22:30

JPF staff describe aid activities in Japan on the Domestic Division blog.
In this blog post, Yamanaka, who worked in aid activities as a JPF staff member responsible for Fukushima, describes the activities of Child Line Fukushima, established in response to the numerous calls about serious problems related to Fukushima received by Childline (telephone consultation centers) nationwide after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The blog post also describes a forum held at the end of October.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/11/14/223340

Domestic Division blog post: A Powerful Partner in Activities in Iwate: An Introduction to the Iwate Fukko Collaboration Center

2nd November 2016 13:00

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This blog post was written by Takahisa of the JPF Domestic Division. Takahisa has worked in recovery aid activities in Iwate since November 2013.
As an intermediary aid organization that supports nonprofits while assigning coordinators to the northern coastal area of the prefecture, the Kamaishi area, the Kesen area, and inland areas, the Iwate Fukko Collaboration Center has emerged as a strong partner for JPF in providing aid for Iwate Prefecture, the largest of the affected prefectures in terms of area.
This blog post features photos of members of the Iwate Fukko Collaboration Center and presents their thoughts on the current state of the affected areas five years after the earthquake.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/11/01/194723

Domestic Division blog post: FY2015 Report on JPF’s Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Completed

25th October 2016 9:37

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In this blog post, JPF Domestic Division staff report the completion of both the Japanese and English editions of the FY2015 report on JPF’s Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.
This report is packed with the thoughts of many people who continue aid activities to this day. We encourage readers to take a look at both the report and the blog post.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/10/24/121042

Aid to Victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake FY2015 Report

19th October 2016 8:45

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English version of "Aid to Victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake FY2015 Report" is now available on our website!
https://bit.ly/2GE3gNu

Japanese versions and other previous reports are available here as well.
https://bit.ly/2GHm4eo

FY2015 Report on JPF’s Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Completed

5th October 2016 21:10

The FY2015 report on JPF’s Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake is now complete. Click on the link below to read the report.
Past reports on JPF’s Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake are also available.
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/report/general.html

Press release: Japan Platform Corporate Seminar 2016, “The Aid Fukushima Needs Today: Lifting of Evacuation Orders, Children, Industry, and Corporate Collaboration,” to be Held on 13th October

28th September 2016 10:24

Even today, some 144,000 people remain refugees after their evacuation from areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. More than half, or 87,879 people, are evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture. Disaster-related deaths continue to rise, now exceeding 2,000 in Fukushima Prefecture. New issues are also being identified, as the lifting of evacuation orders leads to the end of housing aid and damages payment.

In response to these conditions in Fukushima, JPF is seeking to maintain and bolster aid activities through at least FY2018. Among the companies that provide support and understanding to JPF on a daily basis, not a few want to help Fukushima, but wonder how to identify needs, what aid to provide, and how to provide it.

This seminar is intended to inform companies about current major issues in Fukushima; to help them consider how they can aid Fukushima in practical terms through business and social engagement activities.

Click here for the press release.
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2016/09/272138.html

Click here to apply to attend.
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/application/jpf-event3/

Domestic Division blog post: Greetings upon Assuming New Post and a Report on a Tour of Katsurao

27th August 2016 21:00

This blog post was written by a staff member who joined JPF in July as Domestic Division Programme Coordinator, assigned responsibility for cooperation and coordination and other activities chiefly in Fukushima, but in Miyagi and Iwate as well, when necessary.
In addition to greetings from the Coordinator on assuming the post, the blog post describes a tour of the village of Katsurao, Fukushima Prefecture, where the evacuation order covering the entire village, in place since the nuclear power plant accident, was recently lifted.
We encourage readers to read this blog post. It also features comments from various perspectives, including those of ranchers and rice growers.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/08/26/155243

Domestic Division blog post: Nomagake and First Fire Festival in Six Years Held in Odaka, Minamisoma

4th August 2016 21:41

From the evening of 24th July through 25th July, the Nomagake wild horse corralling event and the first fire festival in six years after the lifting of evacuation orders were held in Odaka, Minamisoma.
We encourage readers to take a look at this blog, which includes images of the fire festival, Nomagake, and the Nomaoi wild horse chasing event.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/08/02/151425

Domestic Division blog post: A Stroll around Odaka, Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, After Taking the JR Joban Line Segment between Haranomachi and Odaka Stations, Reopened for the First Time in Five Years

25th July 2016 17:30

On 12th July, the evacuation order was lifted for the most part of Minamisoma, centered on the Odaka area. Train service to Odaka was resumed. The evacuation order had affected more than 10,000 people.
In this blog post, JPF Domestic Division staff describe a train trip on the JR Joban Line from Haranomachi to Odaka.
Click on the link below to learn more about the beautiful scenery, local festivals, and other information.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/07/25/161256

Domestic Division blog post: Ofunato Ibasho House: Local Residents Welcome Relocation to Disaster Public Housing and Other Houses

11th June 2016 22:00

Residents relocated to disaster public housing and other houses after the Great East Japan Earthquake are unsure what kind of people their neighbors will be or what facilities will be available. They’re also concerned about whether they can establish good ties to local residents.
This blog post describes the case of the Honeywell Ibasho House in Massakicho, Ofunato, a valuable example of a welcoming event organized by local residents for those relocating to disaster public housing and other houses.
We encourage readers to take a look.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/06/10/130803

JPF Domestic Division blog post: Don’t Miss the Chance to Participate in Festivals in Affected Areas <An Introduction to the Sendai Aoba Festival and Thoughts on Those Affected by the Kumamoto and Oita Earthquakes>

22nd May 2016 23:00

The Sendai Aoba Festival was held 14th-15th May in Sendai, home of the JPF Tohoku Office.
This blog post was written by a staff member who visited Oita and Kumamoto 22nd April-2nd May on a field study of areas affected by the Kumamoto Earthquakes. Tohoku is the staff member’s home region and a place where JPF implemented various responses to the Great East Japan Earthquake. After attending the festival there, the staff member’s thoughts turned to affected areas in Kumamoto and Oita.
First held during the Edo Period, the Sendai Aoba Festival is one of Sendai’s three largest festivals. The JPF Tohoku Office is located on the sixth floor of an office building on Jozenji-dori Avenue that looks down on rows of Japanese zelkova trees. We encourage readers to read this blog post, which also includes video of the Aoba Festival.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/05/20/133000

A Warm Thank You to All Those Who Helped Set Up a JPF Donation Box

13th May 2016 18:00

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A JPF donation box was set up on 2nd May by Gallery Echo-ann, a rooftop art gallery in Ginza. JPF is grateful for all the donations received. They will be put to effective use to aid those affected by disasters.
Gallery Echo-ann is also holding ART TO HEART vol. 9.
This year’s installment of the Great East Japan Earthquake charity event, first held in April 2011, will also help aid those affected by the Kumamoto Earthquakes. Numerous wonderful works of art are on display in the gallery. We encourage readers to visit the gallery for this event. The last day of the event is tomorrow, 14th May.

<Summary>
7th-14th May 11:30-19:00 (17:00 on Sunday, the final day)
8F, Ginza Building, 3-3-12 Ginza
Works by the following artists are on exhibition:
Yoichi Okano, Hiroyuki Kimura, Shohei Takasaki, Kentaro Hirano, Mikako Fujii, Kazuki Mizuguchi, Yoshimi Yokoyama

Why aren’t Japan’s Disaster-Prevention Efforts Child-Friendly?

21st April 2016 11:19

“Unfortunately, Japan’s disaster-prevention plans still aren’t remotely child-friendly.” (from the text)
We encourage readers to take a look at the following article by Keiko Tamura, who has been involved in aid activities for children in the Middle East and North Africa through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the JPF member NGO Save the Children Japan, and other organizations.

Click here for the article.
https://bit.ly/2vwysf2

JPF Domestic Division blog post: A Report on the Dialogue between International NGOs and Fukushima, “Never Forget: A Project to Continue Providing Mental Care in Fukushima”

14th April 2016 8:11

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This blog post reports on cases of everyday aid activities specific to Fukushima discussed on the day of this event, as well as opinions exchanged based on participants’ “tweets” in an “analog Twitter” activity, in which the participants freely wrote and share their feelings and questions throughout the venue.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/04/13/114714

JPF Domestic Division blog post: The Nemareya Community Coexistence Home, a Mutual Aid Effort in the Community: From Aid to Affected Persons to Community Welfare

27th March 2016 18:00

This blog post reports on the activities of the Workers’ Co-op Otsuchi welfare office, an organization currently striving to establish mutual aid programs for affected people, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and others throughout the community, while also providing support for establishing a new community in disaster public housing in the Ogakuchi area of the town of Otsuchi.
The blog post also includes comments by General Secretary Furusawa of the Workers’ Co-op Tohoku Recovery Headquarters.
See the link below.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/03/25/151457

Dialogue between International NGOs and Fukushima, “Never Forget: A Project to Continue Providing Mental Care in Fukushima,” to be Held in Two Days

26th March 2016 22:15

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“Never forget: A project to continue providing mental care in Fukushima” will be held 28th March. The third part of this dialogue event will feature a free exchange of viewpoints among speakers, JPF staff, and participants, while enjoying traditional Japanese snacks from the Tohoku region.

How many types of snacks do you know among those planned for the event? Why not take some time to consider what’s happening in Fukushima while enjoying the tastes of Tohoku?

・Polvorón and Snowball, from joint projects for people with disabilities in Fukushima
・Nomatan Cookies from Eisendo in Minamisoma
・Dacquoise from Shogetsudo reopened in Minamisoma (operated in the Odaka district before the earthquake)
・Matsushima Koren from Korenya Shingetsuan in Matsushima, Miyagi-gun, Miyagi Prefecture
・Mieko no Heya’s Zunda Karinto in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture (Due to earthquake damage, the Onagawa facilities of Yumeshokuken, a subcontractor food processor, have relocated to Tottori.)
・Hoyasenbei from Aonoka, a joint brand produced by local businesses in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture
・Wakame Pari-TO Snack from Tsuda Nori Honpo in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture
・Shoyuame and Kinuame from Takeya in Date-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
・Yuzumatsu senbei and Goma senbei from Takasho in the city of Fukushima

* Applications for participation will be accepted through this weekend (27th March, Sunday).

Dialogue between international NGOs and Fukushima, “Never forget: A project to continue providing mental care in Fukushima”
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/20160328fukushima/

Cooperation with Community in Responding to the Great East Japan Earthquake: Connecting, Networking, and Living for Today

15th March 2016 11:01

The Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA), a JPF member NGO, will hold a meeting on 18th March this week to report on projects to aid those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. See below for details.
http://sva.or.jp/wp/?p=16743

JPF blog post: Five Years since the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake: Then, Now, and the Future

11th March 2016 14:47

A blog by the JPF Domestic Division Manager/Tohoku Office Manager has been posted.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/03/11/144543

Five Years since the Great East Japan Earthquake

11th March 2016 10:16

A full five years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Even today, some 174,000 people* continue to live as evacuees.
In the three affected prefectures, people have started to transfer from temporary housing to disaster public housing and other houses. This has created a pressing need for safety net support, particularly for senior citizens, people with disabilities, single-parent households, people living in poverty, and other socially vulnerable people.

JPF decided to mobilize five years ago today. Since then, we’ve continued aid activities in the Tohoku region while sharing information and working with affected people, local nonprofits, aid organizations, local governments, and other parties.

JPF’s overriding priority is continuing recovery efforts led by local people and working with local nonprofits to deliver close support to those in vulnerable positions. All members of JPF staff wish to express their heartfelt gratitude for the support they have received to date and ask for your continued understanding and support.

See the link below for a message from the Secretary General and for comments from staff responsible who continue their daily activities in cooperation with local people in the three prefectures.
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org

* Announced 26th February 2016 by the Reconstruction Agency

JPF Aid to Fukushima

10th March 2016 13:08

A new webpage has been set up to report on enhancements to JPF’s aid to Fukushima. Be sure to check back for future updates.
http://www.japanplatform.org/contents/fukushima/

NHK special: “Seven Days of Evacuation from the Nuclear Accident: What Happened in Fukushima?”

5th March 2016 13:00

At 9:00 pm on 5th March, NHK will broadcast a special program titled “Seven days of evacuation from the nuclear accident: What happened in Fukushima?” Appearing in this special is Public Health Nurse Fushimi of Fukushima’s Soma Wide-Area Mental Healthcare Center NAGOMI, which receives aid through grants to Médecins du Monde Japon from JPF’s “Living Together” Fund.

Fushimi will also take the podium in a session of the dialogue between international NGOs and Fukushima, “Never forget: A project to continue providing mental care in Fukushima.” Organized by JPF, this event is scheduled for 28th March.

NHK special, “Seven days of evacuation from the nuclear accident: What happened in Fukushima?”
http://www6.nhk.or.jp/special/detail/index.html?aid=20160305

Event: Dialogue between international NGOs and Fukushima, “Never forget: A project to continue providing mental care in Fukushima”
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/20160328fukushima/

JPF blog post: JPF Participates in Symposium in Ishinomaki on Drawing on the Power of Primary Industries to Accelerate Intermediary Employment

1st March 2016 8:00

JPF participated in a symposium in Ishinomaki on drawing on the power of primary industries to accelerate intermediary employment. The event venue was the Ishinomaki fish market, one of the largest fish markets in Asia, rebuilt since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

This forum introduced several real-world cases of intermediary employment and employment assistance from both local businesses and organizations providing employment assistance, including Switch, a nonprofit receiving grants from the “Living Together” Fund. This was followed by exchange of viewpoints with all those in attendance.
See the blog for more information.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/02/29/152250

A Warm Thank You to All Those Who Participated in the Ocean Project New Years’ Party

29th February 2016 22:23

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On the evening of 21st February, the Ocean Project New Years’ Party was held at Daichinro in Yokohama’s bustling Chinatown celebrating Chun Jie, Chinese New Year.
This Ocean Project is the 64th of such event since the first held on Marine Day, July 20, 2009. Since June 2011 the project has given support to JPF activities.

At the event, with the sixth anniversary of the disaster approaching, JPF Domestic Division Manager Akutsu reported on current conditions and issues in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
A warm thank you to Chairperson Mizuguchi and all the others who volunteered in support of our activities.
Once again we received valuable donations. We are grateful for this generous support and will put them to effective use.

Special site on JPF’s response to the Great East Japan Earthquake
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/

Press release: Dialogue between International NGOs and Fukushima, “Never Forget: A Project to Continue Providing Mental Care in Fukushima”: Third in a Series of JPF Dialogues on Collaboration in Aid Activities

29th February 2016 18:09

On 28th March 2016 (Monday), JPF will hold the dialogue between international NGOs and Fukushima, “Never forget: A project to continue providing mental care in Fukushima,” at Kojimachi Catholic Church (St. Ignatius Church) in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

See the following press release for more information.
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/pressrelease/

Blog by JPF Director Yukie Osa: Five Years since the Great East Japan Earthquake: Lessons Learned and Insights Gained by an International Cooperation NGO ①: The Limits of Translation and Interpretation and the Drivers of Recovery

23rd February 2016 8:00

It’s been almost five years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Those involved in aid activities in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake have found that the process provided opportunities to look back on their own activities until then as an international cooperation NGO and to gain new insights. For the full text, see the blog posted by Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan) President and JPF Director Yukie Osa.

Excerpt from the text:
“When this massive disaster struck my home country, I kept reminding myself, repeating it like an incantation, that this time I would not need a passport, visa, or air ticket, and that there was no need for interpretation because everybody spoke Japanese. It was true, though.
[...]
“In the restrooms of the gymnasium serving as an evacuation center, I heard things told in hushed tones that no one would openly say. Every day, the newspapers, television, and radio were full of vivid tales of “that moment” from affected people--some too sad, some horrific--as well as comments on the difficulty of living day to day as evacuees.
“Amid this veritable flood of information, I realized how limited my understanding of local comments had been, not just in the former Yugoslavia, where I was stationed once, but in other disaster-affected regions I had visited in the past, like Cambodia, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mozambique, the Sudan, Indonesia, and India.”

■ 24th President’s blog post: Five Years since the Great East Japan Earthquake: Lessons Learned and Insights Gained by an International Cooperation NGO ①: The Limits of Translation and Interpretation and the Drivers of Recovery
http://www.aarjapan.gr.jp/activity/blog/2016/0218_1981.html

■ JPF South Sudan Emergency Aid 2014
http://www.japanplatform.org/programs/south-sudan2014/

JPF blog: Lifting of Evacuation Orders in Fukushima and Preparations Therefor, as Seen in Photographs

19th February 2016 21:00

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This blog post by JPF Domestic Division staff introduces some rare and unique photos related to the lifting of evacuation orders in Fukushima and preparations therefor. We encourage readers to visit the blog to see the photos, which include photos from the Fukushima Affected Areas Study Tour organized by the Fukushima University Disaster Recovery Research Institute and photos from the Comprehensive Community Care Symposium held alongside the opening of the Futaba Recovery Clinic, as well as corresponding accounts.

JPF Domestic Division blog: Lifting of Evacuation Orders in Fukushima and Preparations Therefor, as Seen in Photographs
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/fukushima-photo

To be held Saturday, 5th March: “Five Years since the Earthquake: To Return or Not to Return--Fukushima’s Dilemma”

17th February 2016 12:56

The Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan), a JPF member NGO, is planning an event for the fifth of next month at the AAR Office, a two-minute walk from Meguro Station.
Today, almost five years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the current state of Fukushima in which many affected people still live as evacuees inside and outside the prefecture as well as recovery in Tohoku are not someone else’s problems.
Admission is free of charge. Prior registration is required.

National Forum on Disaster Cooperation

16th February 2016 12:00

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On 12th-13th February, the Japan Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (JVOAD) organizing committee, of which JPF is a member, held a National Forum on Disaster Cooperation in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward.

This event welcomed more than 300 people involved in aid from diverse sectors including government, corporations, universities and research institutions, the Japan Red Cross, social welfare councils, and NGOs and nonprofits. It provided an opportunity to spend two days considering the ways of cooperation and coordination based on respect for diversity, respect for communities, and eliminating omissions, gaps, failures, and inequalities in aid, to help prepare for future large-scale disasters.

The topic for the first day was “Learning lessons from past disasters and current collaboration.” A panel discussion that included representatives of collaborative recovery support centers in the three affected prefectures was held on the theme “Post-Great East Japan Earthquake: Issues and recommendations for wide-area collaboration in an emergency.” The second day’s topic was “Thinking about solutions for future challenges in collaboration.” All participants took part in a simulation of the Nankai Trough earthquake and reflected on the functions of aid coordination. Sub-working groups on nine themes met after the main events on both days for in-depth discussions of issues and measures.

JPF will continue to enhance cooperation among disaster-related volunteer organizations based on the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and to deliver aid in accordance with international standards in response to domestic disasters.
As a member of the JVOAD organizing committee, it will also continue developing organizational structures and disaster response preparations to establish the JVOAD.

JPF Domestic Division blog post: Project to Verify Cooperation and Coordination among Aid Organizations in Affected Areas

30th January 2016 12:24

JPF also carries out programs to support cooperation and coordination among aid organizations and projects to link experiences from this particular disaster to the response to future disasters. This blog post by Domestic Division staff describes these cooperation and coordination programs.
No one wants disasters to occur. We encourage readers to take a look at this blog post to learn what efforts are underway every day to prepare for large-scale disasters and what cooperation and coordination means.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/01/29/104755

JPF blog post: Recovering Traditional Culture: Restoration of 237 Wolf Paintings in the Ceiling of Toratori Yamatsumi Shrine

19th January 2016 20:33

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Toratori Yamatsumi Shrine is located between the village of Iitate, Minamisoma-gun, once known as Japan’s most beautiful village and a community where preparations are currently underway to lift evacuation orders, and Ryozen in the city of Date, where Kitabatake Kaneie’s seat of local government was established in the period of the Northern and Southern Courts.
All 237 wolf paintings in the ceiling of the shrine were destroyed due to a fire that could not be controlled since the entire population had been ordered to evacuate due to radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Resurrection of Fukushima, the organization deploying activities in the Sasu district where this shrine is located, receives support from JPF’s “Living Together” Fund for its plans to revitalize the Sasu and Matsuzuka districts of the village of Iitate through joint efforts among affected residents, volunteers, and experts. See this blog post for photos of monitoring activities and accounts of episodes related to Toratori Yamatsumi Shrine.

JPF Domestic Division blog post
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2016/01/19/174612

Event report: Fukushima Emergency Appeal: What is happening? What can we do?

24th December 2015 22:33

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The symposium on Fukushima held by JPF in Kojimachi, Tokyo, on Nov. 16 titled Fukushima Emergency Appeal: What is happening? What we can do? was a great success with 113 attendees (58 companies, 36 NPOs including JPF member NGOs, excluding event staff). We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our attendees as well as everyone who helped make this event a success.

At the event, we heard presentations on the uniqueness of Fukushima’s situation and the need for assistance, and listened to a panel discussion by experts knowledgeable about the damages in Fukushima. It was a valuable opportunity for us to come together and think about what responses are possible and what efforts should be made.

For those who were unable to attend, please visit the website below for details:
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/20151116fukushima/

JPF staff blog: A second subway, the Tozai Line, begins operations in Sendai”

17th December 2015 16:00

A new blog post has been added to our Domestic Division staff blog.

The new subway line connects Yagiyama Zoological Park Station, which is the highest subway station in Japan, and Arai Station, where the local government is planning to build houses for people who lost their homes in the Great East Japan Earthquake... Jozenji Dori, which has one of the largest displays of Christmas lights during this time, is closest to Kotodaikoen Station on the Nanboku Line. We recommend visiting Sendai at this time when you can enjoy both the new and old subway lines.
--Excerpt from the blog post

Please visit our blog to read the new blog post:
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2015/12/16/172618

Event in progress: A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaboration.Support from Fujifilm and Photo Volunteer Japan Foundation.

11th December 2015 14:20

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JPF launched its program in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake on the same day that the earthquake hit. At this event, the JPF staff member responsible for our aid program for Fukushima who has been working hard to enable local-led recovery since is discussing with various actors delivering aid on the ground and people from the local community about what is happening in Fukushima now and how some issues were addressed through collaborations.
Please join us if you happen to be nearby.

Event details:
Date: Dec. 11, 2015 (Fri)
Time: 2:00-3:00 PM (Doors open at 1:00 PM)
Venue: Fujifilm Photo Salon 2F (Inside Fujifilm Square)
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/20151211fukushima/

This event is held in parallel with Sekai no Kodomotachi e no Shien wo Shiro, Sappoto Shiyo: Daijyukyukai shashinkatachi ni yoru chariti shashinten (Let’s Learn About and Support Aid to Children Around the World: 19th Charity Photo Exhibit by Photographers), held by the Photo Volunteer Japan Foundation at Fujifilm Photo Salon Tokyo in Fujifilm Square from Dec. 11, 2015 (Fri) through Dec. 17, 2015 (Thu).

Our event is held with support from Photo Volunteer Japan Foundation, and part of the sales from their photo exhibit will be donated to JPF’s humanitarian aid programs. The venue is provided courtesy of Fujifilm.

JPF staff blog: Two upcoming events on Fukushima and Afghanistan to be held at Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi!

7th December 2015 15:00

It’s December, and we are counting down the days until the end of 2015. The JPF Tokyo Office is busy as the year is coming to an end.

We have added a new blog post on upcoming events.

On Dec. 11, 2015 (Fri), we will be holding a second event in Roppongi that focuses on Fukushima titled A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations. The theme is collaboration.

In the first half, organizations that have been delivering aid to Fukushima since the immediate aftermath of the earthquake will have a dialogue on the process and results of their activities. From Shanti Volunteer Association, a Soto Zen monk who turned his temple into an evacuation center and has been supporting evacuees since the disaster first hit, will take the podium in his priest robes.

In the second half, we will have a panel discussion where representatives of aid organizations in Fukushima and the JPF representative for our Fukushima program discuss problems happening on the ground in Fukushima and issues being overlooked.
--Excerpt from our blog post

Please visit our blog to read the full post:
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2015/12/07/112642

Message from Nisshin Seifun Group: Assisting welfare centers in Fukushima by providing instruction on baking techniques; developed a new confectionery called Mahou no Okashi Poruboron

6th December 2015 23:00

We would like to introduce a message that we received from one of our longtime corporate partners about our Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Our collaboration with Nisshin Seifun Group will be introduced at our event on Dec. 11: A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations.

We assisted Shinsei, a network of 11 welfare centers based in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture that provides employment to people with disabilities by making and selling goods. Shinsei is also one of the NPOs that that receives funding from the JPF Tomo ni Ikiru (Living Together) Fund. We assisted by providing instruction on baking techniques, which is one of our strengths. The confectionary developed with our support was named Maho no Okashi Poruboron (Magical Sweet Polvoron), and sales began October 2014 ... We hope that JPF will continue to guide us in future disaster relief activities.
--Excerpt from message from Ms. Masako Ishimori, General Affairs Division, General Affairs Headquarters, Nisshin Seifun Group)

Please visit our website to read the full message:
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/support/messages.html

We thank Nisshin Seifun Group for their support and word of encouragement. JPF is devoted to carrying out its mission, and we hope that many people will continue to support us.

Five days until upcoming event: A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations

6th December 2015 11:15

On Dec. 11, we will hold an event titled A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations at the Fujifilm Photo Salon in Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi, with support from Fujifilm and Photo Volunteer Japan Foundation.

JPF launched its program in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake on the same day that the earthquake hit. At this event, the JPF staff member responsible for our aid program for Fukushima who has been working hard to enable local-led recovery since will discuss with various actors delivering aid on the ground and people from the local community about what is happening in Fukushima now and how some issues were addressed through collaborations. We may be able to understand what the future of aid should look like for our society. Don’t miss it!

Our event is held with support from Photo Volunteer Japan Foundation, and part of the sales from Sekai no Kodomotachi eno Shien wo Shiro, Sappoto Shiyo: Daijyukyukai shashinkatachi niyoru chariti shashinten (Let’s Learn About and Support Aid to Children Around the World: 19th Charity Photo Exhibit by Photographers), an event that is held in parallel with ours, will be donated to JPF’s humanitarian aid programs.

The venue is provided courtesy of Fujifilm. We express our heartfelt thanks to have been given this opportunity to introduce our humanitarian aid programs at this wonderful event and location.

There are only three days left until the registration deadline. Please register through the website below:
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/20151211fukushima/

One week until upcoming event: A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Collaborations Through Fukushima. A word of appreciation to Fujifilm and Photo Volunteer Japan Foundation for their support.

4th December 2015 22:00

On Dec. 11, JPF will hold an event titled A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations at the Fujifilm Photo Salon in Roppongi.

At the event, JPF member NGOs that JPF works with on a daily basis and aid organizations based in Fukushima will talk about complex and less visible problems that people in Fukushima are facing, and how collaboration with the local community could shape the future of aid.

This event is held in parallel with Sekai no Kodomotachi e no Shien wo Shiro, Sappoto Shiyo: Daijyukyukai shashinkatachi ni yoru chariti shashinten (Let’s Learn About and Support Aid to Children Around the World: 19th Charity Photo Exhibit by Photographers), held by the Photo Volunteer Japan Foundation at Fujifilm Photo Salon Tokyo in Fujifilm Square from Dec. 11, 2015 (Fri) through Dec. 17, 2015 (Thu). Our event is held with support from Photo Volunteer Japan Foundation, and part of the sales from their photo exhibit will be donated to JPF’s humanitarian aid programs.

The Photo Volunteer Japan Foundation is comprised of professional photographers. For the past 19 years, they have held charity photo exhibits where they take all of their sales from original photos sold at the event and donate them to Japanese NGOs. Approximately 250 framed photos taken by professional photographers are placed on exhibit and sold at 10,000 yen apiece. This year, they are collaborating with organizations that they support including the UNICEF Tokyo Office, Milan Club Japan, Japan Committee of Vaccines for the World’s Children, and JPF, and supporting our event held in parallel to theirs.

We express our heartfelt thanks to have been given this opportunity to introduce our humanitarian aid programs at this wonderful event and location.

Event details:
Date: Dec. 11, 2015 (Fri)
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm (Doors open at 1:00 pm)
Venue: Fujifilm Photo Salon 2F (Inside Fujifilm Square)
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/20151211fukushima/

Ten days until upcoming event: A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations

2nd December 2015 21:00

On Dec. 11, 2015, Japan Platform will hold an event titled A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations at the Fujifilm Photo Salon in Roppongi.
JPF member NGOs that JPF works with on a daily basis and aid organizations based in Fukushima will discuss complex and less visible problems that people in Fukushima are facing, and how we have collaborated with the local community.

In the first half, JPF member NGOs that have been delivering aid to Fukushima since the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and its local partners in Fukushima will have a dialogue that reflects upon their collaboration up to now, and share their process and results, how they were able to use their experience and know-how related to international humanitarian aid, and insights gained.

In the second half, we will have a panel discussion on the future of aid shaped by collaborations, and introduce issues that vulnerable groups, including women, children, seniors and disabled persons, face, which are less visible and often overlooked. JPF and aid organizations based in Fukushima which have carried out comprehensive aid with various actors, will discuss what kind of collaborations are effective.

Please register by Dec. 8 (Tue) to attend.

For details and registration, please visit the website below:
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/20151211fukushima/

Press release on upcoming event: A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations

24th November 2015 0:18

On Dec. 11, 2015, we will hold an event titled A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations at the Fujifilm Photo Salon in Roppongi.

At the event, JPF member NGOs that JPF works with on a daily basis and aid organizations in Fukushima will discuss complex and less visible problems that people in Fukushima are facing, and how they have collaborated with the local community.

Please see the press release issued today for details:
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2015/11/221910.html

Message from Certified Nonprofit Organization Ongaku de Nihon no Egao wo (Bringing Smiles to Japan Through Music): “We respect JPF for delivering swift, direct and long-term assistance.”

21st November 2015 23:24

We would like to share a message that we have received from one of our longtime foundation partners about our Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.

I first met JPF when I visited the town of Minamisanriku for the first time. In Japan, there is still a lack of interest in volunteer activities, and I respect JPF for delivering swift, direct and long-term assistance. The donations that we raise through our foundation as well as from members of the Sumairu Gashodan (Smile Choral Group) will continue to be donated to JPF, and we would also like continue contributing to disaster recovery through Sumairu Gashodan’s performances.
--Excerpt from message from Mr. Hideharu Okada, Director of Certified Nonprofit Organization Ongaku de Nihon no Egao wo (Bringing Smiles to Japan Through Music)

We hope that our efforts will raise people’s spirits and help revitalize this wonderful country.
--Excerpt from message from the late Ms. Keiko Nakajima

Please visit our website to read the full message:
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/support/messages.html

We thank Ongaku de Nihon no Egao wo for their support and word of encouragement. JPF is devoted to carrying out its mission, and we hope that many people will continue to support us.

Message from NTT Docomo: “We have continued to give donations from employees to JPF. Along with contributing to the local community using ICT, we are engaging in activities to support disaster-affected communities.”

20th November 2015 17:00

We would like to share a message that we have received from one of our longtime corporate partners about our Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.

To support recovery efforts for the Great East Japan Earthquake, our employees have organized Docomo no Tohoku Ouendan (Docomo’s Supporters for Tohoku) and actively engaged in volunteer activities and fundraising. Since 2012, over 1000 employees have participated in volunteer activities including providing support to the fishery and agriculture industries in the city of Rikuzentakata and the town of Minamisanriku, and building wood decks for temporary houses.
--Excerpt from message from Ms. Hiroko Kawasaki, Head of CSR at NTT Docomo)

Please visit our website to read the full message:
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/support/messages.html

We thank NTT Docomo for their support and word of encouragement. JPF is devoted to carrying out its mission, and we hope that many people will continue to support us.

JPF staff blog: Almost five years since the Great East Japan Earthquake--Coming soon! A Dialogue Between International NGOs and Fukushima: Supporting Fukushima Through Collaborations

17th November 2015 12:00

We extend our sincere gratitude to the many people who attended the symposium on Fukushima held by JPF yesterday (Nov. 16) titled, “Fukushima Emergency Appeal: What is happening? What can we do?”
...
In our first Fukushima Emergency Appeal, we focused on what is happening now and what we can do, and discussed what the private sector as well as each one of us as individuals can do. The theme of our second Fukushima Emergency Appeal will be supporting Fukushima through collaborations. We will invite JPF member NGOs Association for Aid and Relief Japan (AAR Japan) and Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA) for a dialogue on international NGOs and Fukushima. Since the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, both organizations have been delivering aid in Fukushima by working with the affected people, local NPOs and governments.

We look forward to your participation!
--Excerpt from blog post

Please visit our blog for details on our second event:

JPF Domestic Division staff blog
http://blog.japanplatform.org/

Symposium today from 4:30 pm: Fukushima Emergency Appeal: What is happening? What can we do?

16th November 2015 12:03

Our symposium will begin in a few hours. We would like to ask those planning to attend to check the time and location once again.
We look forward to seeing you there.

Date: Nov. 16, 2015 (Mon)
Time: 4:30-8:00 pm (Doors open at 4:00 pm)
4:30 pm Symposium
7:00 pm Reception

Location:
Le Port Kojimachi 3F, Emerald Room and Marble Room
2-4-3 Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Three minute walk from Kojimachi Station Exit 1

Please visit our website for event details:
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/20151116fukushima/

Press release: JPF to strengthen and continue aid to Fukushima until the end of 2018; aid to Miyagi and Iwate also to be continued until the end of 2016

13th November 2015 17:41

With respect to aid for Tohoku for 2016 and onward, JPF has made a decision to continue its program, Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, launched on March 11, 2011, and strengthen its aid to Fukushima.

Please read the press release issued today for details:
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2015/11/131719.html

Forum on Making Tohoku’s Fourth Year of Recovery Visible in the Middle of Tokyo

15th December 2014 11:41

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The Forum on Making Tohoku’s Fourth Year of Recovery Visible in the Middle of Tokyo, which was held last week, ended in great success. We extend our sincere thanks to all of the participants, speakers, and others who were involved in this event. We hope that you would continue to support JPF’s Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake.
http://www.japanplatform.org/event/20141211tohoku/

Local Soul Food and Reconstruction: Chinese Cafeteria Kumagai’s Tantanmen Noodles Making a Comeback

26th November 2014 17:11

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We would like to introduce to you today the Chinese Cafeteria Kumagai, a local restaurant in Rikuzentakata City (Iwate Prefecture) that has made a post-earthquake comeback and serving its patrons the local soul food. A restaurant beloved in the community making a comeback is truly meaningful because it helps uplift the local community’s identity and encourages further reconstruction of the region. While this is a positive move forward, in an area like Rikuzentakata City, which has experienced total destruction from the disaster, many residents are unaware of what beloved local landmarks have come back and what has been newly built post-disaster. Please go to the blog to find out the reasons why: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2014/11/13/113821

JPF has supported SAVE TAKATA, a local organization in Rikuzentakata, with a grant as they created the Rikuzentakata Reconstruction Map to Bring Back Happiness.

Press Release: 11th December “Forum on Making Tohoku’s Fourth Year of Recovery Visible in the Middle of Tokyo: The Role of JPF as Coordinator” [JPF Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake]

27th October 2014 17:33

On Thursday, 11th December 2014, JPF will be hosting an event in Otemachi, Tokyo, called “Forum on the Making Tohoku’s Fourth Year of Recovery Visible in the Middle of Tokyo: The Role of JPF as Coordinator” as we look back on the various assistance provided in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake so far. Please check out our website for more information. The press release can be found here: http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2014/10/271634.html

JPF Staff Dispatched to Miyagi Coordinated Reconstruction Center

21st October 2014 10:00

JPF Tohoku Office’s Miyagi Prefecture focused blog has been uploaded. It talks about JPF’s line of work in the reconstruction effort, which is to coordinate the works of various relief providers. We would be grateful if you took a look at our post here: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2014/10/20/115124

Kamaishi Playground Map Introduced at the JCN Periodic Field Meeting in Iwate

14th September 2014 12:00

At Japan Civil Network for Disaster Relief in East Japan’s (JCN) 10th Periodic Field Meeting in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, Kamaishi Playground Map Creation Committee was introduced as an example of a project involving a multi-stakeholder process. JPF has been a cooperating project member of this committee. Mr. Yohei Higashi from KnK Japan’s Iwate Office spoke about the project, and the participants asked various good questions. Please see the blog posts below for more details.

JPF Official Blog Posts:
Kamaishi Playground Map Introduced at the JCN Periodic Field Meeting in Iwate http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2014/09/12/163417

Kamaishi Playground Map Completed While Starting with No Budget: Coordination and Partnership Between Local Government and Relief Organizations http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2014/06/23/181312

Fukushima: Lifted Evacuation Order, Return, and Efforts to Overcome Hardship

30th July 2014 16:27

We have updated our blog on how the Fukushima evacuees are doing, including their day-to-day lives, and the assistance efforts for them. Currently, evacuation orders have been lifted for Kawauchi Village and other municipalities, and for those where the municipal government has declared all residents to return, assistance measures have been cut from them. With the new turn of events, however, come various challenges. There are residents who are experiencing hardships, and there are also support for them to rebuild their lives and to regain independence, while other opportunities are created for evacuees to interact with each other. Please do read the rest on the blog.

JPF Official Blog: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2014/07/30/161225

Mirai Support Ishinomaki: JPF Tomoni Ikiru Grant Project

4th April 2014 11:19

As one of JPF’s Tomoni Ikiru (Living Together) Fund grant projects, Mirai Support Ishinomaki (in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture) opened the Tsunagu-kan, a facility that displays photos and other artifacts to show the damages sustained in the city center and the steps the city has taken towards reconstruction (mirai: future; tsunagu: to connect). The facility’s opening was covered by the Kahoku Shimpo newspaper. In addition to the disaster prevention perspective, they plan on providing information for visitors to Ishinomaki who may be taking strolls around town.

Kahoku Shimpo newspaper site: https://www.kahoku.co.jp/

Blog Update: Mobile Library in Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate (SVA)

18th March 2014 16:21

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Let us introduce you today to JPF member NGO Shanti Volunteer Association’s (SVA) mobile library project which is part of the assistance provided to those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. “Read while standing up, drink some tea, and enjoy...” says the mobile library truck but what does that mean? For more details, check out the blog here: http://blog.japanplatform.org/

Nikkei Business Magazine Feature Article in 10th March Issue

11th March 2014 10:34

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The feature article in the 10th March issue of the Nikkei Business Magazine is on the Tohoku Model or the innovations made in the communities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. An interview with JPF Board Chair Toshio Arima appears on page 105 to provide tips for CSR and CSV initiatives for businesses. We encourage all to take a look at this issue.

https://business.nikkei.com/article/NBD/20140228/260397/

From Tohoku to the Philippines: Donations Collected at the Local Product Fair

29th November 2013 12:49

As part of our support for those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, we operate a grant program called the Tomoni Ikiru (Living Together) Fund. SAVE TAKATA is one of the grantees working on reconstruction efforts in Rikuzentakata City (Iwate Prefecture), and they are hoping to give back to those who have helped them recover from the Great East Japan Earthquake as they collect donations at the local product fair, in which they are participating as a vendor, to help those affected by the typhoon in the Philippines. We are thrilled to be able to serve as a liaison as we connect their well wishes to another community in need of assistance now.

The local product fair is happening in Fussa City (Tokyo) this weekend where you will find products from Rikuzentakata. If you are in the vicinity, it will surely be worth your visit!

See SAVE TAKATA’s blog post here: http://savetakata.org/blog/2013/11/notice215/

Nina Ananiashvili’s Charity Party for Fukushima

25th October 2013 17:03

On Tuesday, 5th November, internationally renowned ballet dancer Nina Ananiashvili is hosting a charity party, and JPF has partnered with this charity event. Originally from Georgia and having spent over two decades with the Bolsohi Theatre as a prima ballerina, Ms. Ananiashvili has launched the “Nina For Fukushima” project after the Great East Japan Earthquake and has continued to support the people affected by this disaster. At this time, she will be in Japan to host a very first charity party for this project. Items such as her costumes, tiaras, pointe shoes, and homemade wine will be put up for the charity auction. Portions of the proceeds will be donated to NGOs in Fukushima.

Donating Through Purchases of Handmade Items

26th July 2013 18:13

Ever since immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake, JPF has been receiving donations from naturalset, a store that sells handmade leather items and accessories. We are deeply grateful for the regular donations we have received to support those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake through the sales of leather pocket tissue holders, leather bookmarks, tanned leather coasters, and other items.
Website: http://www.naturalset.jp/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naturalset

A Space for Interaction through Local Food Culture

23rd July 2013 10:31

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We visited the community kitchen of “Saisei no Sato (Village of Rebirth) Yaruki Town,” which is one of the Tomoni Ikiru (Living Together) Fund grantees located in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2013/07/22/170119

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: What We Have Done So Far And What Is to Come

17th July 2013 10:56

• Photo ©Natsuki Yasuda/studio AFTERMODE

The FY2012 annual report on the response to the Great East Japan Earthquake has been completed. It covers relief activities according to the following seven themes: 1) Local industry, 2) Regional reconstruction, 3) Evacuation shelters and temporary housing, 4) Fukushima, 5) Children, 6) Elderly and vulnerable populations in disasters, and 7) Coordination and reconstruction. The entire report can be downloaded from our website here: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2013/07/16/110521

From JPF Staff Finishing Up on His Two-Year Term at the Kesennuma Office in Miyagi Prefecure

27th May 2013 19:54

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Our JPF staff who relocated to Kesennuma, Miyagi, in April 2011 will be finishing his term there this month. He looks back on the two years of activities since the disaster struck the region. Please read his blog post here: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2013/05/27/180638

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: JPF Staff in Kesennuma on Radio Today and Tomorrow

9th May 2013 0:27

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JPF staff will speak for about half an hour on JPF’s relief activities in Kesennuma, especially about providing operation support for the disaster volunteer center, supporting the networking among local relief providers, and serving as liaison with local government entities. You can also listen on internet radio, so please look forward to our appearance! We also welcome your comments!

Dates and times aired: 9th May 10:15-, 10th May 15:35- (*repeat broadcast of the same content)
On Kesennuma Disaster FM https://bit.ly/2u7h00i
Or the Internet Radio http://www.simulradio.jp/

Cross-Cultural Exchange on Thinking about Disasters

22nd April 2013 15:03

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We spoke to students from the London Business School about relief efforts for those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Read the blog post here: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2013/04/22/113000

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake: FY2012 Financial Statements and Our Heartfelt Thanks

16th April 2013 12:45

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Thanks to your donations, we have been able to carry out our relief activities thus far. We are deeply grateful, once again, for the many corporate, organizational, and individual supporters who have donated. Please find the details of our financial statements here: http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/support/reports.html

We will continue to work towards reconstruction in Tohoku until fiscal year 2015, and will appreciate your continued support.

Blog Interview Updated

8th April 2013 14:21

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Board director of an NPO in Fukushima has spoken about the current conditions in Fukushima and the difficulty of relief activities. Her words are truly emotionally gripping, as she stated that “Even after two years having passed since the earthquake, we are still unable to see clearly what lies ahead of us” and that “Relief workers have reached their peak in terms of relief fatigue.” Check out the blog post here, where you can read more about Ms. Kaori Tono and Single Mothers’ Forum Fukushima, the organization for which she serves as board director. (*Single Mothers’ Forum Fukushima was a grantee for the 8th grant period of JPF’s Tomoni Ikiru Fund)
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2013/04/08/113000

Great East Japan Earthquake: Message from a Well-Known Artist

3rd April 2013 11:14

Artist Yoshitomo Nara has presented us with his message with two years having passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Since immediately after this earthquake struck, Mr. Nara has cooperated with our relief efforts for the people affected by this disaster through contributing to the charity auction and the sales of charity cards. We are truly grateful for his warm support. We will continue to work hard as we carefully listen to the voices from Tohoku.
https://bit.ly/2P4hV94

Great East Japan Earthquake: Donations Received Through MUJI Donation Tickets

29th March 2013 18:58

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Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd., has kindly donated to JPF the proceeds made on half a year’s worth of “Donation Tickets” sold at the MUJI online store. We are truly grateful for the many people who have donated through the MUJI online store and for Ryohin Keikaku to have selected JPF as the recipient of their customers’ donations. We will use this donation with utmost care towards the reconstruction of Tohoku.

Total Donated Amount: 9,886,630 yen
Total Number of Donors: 22,139 (as of 29th March 2013)

You can donate starting at 10 yen at the MUJI onine store: http://www.muji.net/store/cmdty/donation/0299507000000

Blog Updated

25th March 2013 15:02

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JPF and member NGOs received a certificate of appreciation at the Reconstruction Thanksgiving Festival hosted by the Higashi Matsushima City Social Welfare Council (in Miyagi Prefecture).
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2013/03/25/113000

Mobile Terakoya-Style Lecture “Learning About Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Efforts”

19th March 2013 17:09

On Tuesday 26th March 2013, JPF Domestic Programs Division Director will be speaking at the Mobile Terakoya-Style Lecture “Learning About Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Efforts” hosted by the National Network Connected by Earthquakes. See details here: http://www.tvac.or.jp/news/27799

Great East Japan Earthquake: The One Percent Club Symposium Report

15th March 2013 15:42

• Photo [@Keidanren: Japan Business Federation]: One Percent Club

Details from the Symposium “What Businesses and NPOc Can Do Towards Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake: Thinking About the Third Year of Relief” have been uploaded. JPF Tohoku Office Director Tetsuya Myojo also spoke at this symposium. Visit this link: https://bit.ly/329sNHW

Certificate of Appreciation from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Presented

12th March 2013 13:09

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The Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare presented a certificate of appreciation for JPF’s relief work to support those who have been affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. We were able to receive this thanks to the corporate and individual supporters of JPF’s work, and we find this as proof of the earnest actions toward reconstruction among our member NGOs working with us at JPF as well as the organizations that are part of the Tomoni Ikiru (Living Together) initiative. For all of these efforts, we are grateful. We will journey on towards reconstruction together with the people of the affected communities as we continue in our relief work.

Blog Updated

11th March 2013 18:20

JPF Secretary General’s piece entitled “On the Second Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake” has now been uploaded here: http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2013/03/11/151120

Press Release

8th March 2013 18:15

Tomoni Ikiru (LIving Together) Forum as part of response to Great East Japan Earthquake took place in Sendai and Koriyama cities. 68 NPOs and NGOs who received grants from the Tomoni Ikiru Fund participated in the forum. We thank all the organizations who participated!
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/info/topics/201303081757.html

4 More Days Until the 2nd Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake

7th March 2013 11:54

• Photo [©PWJ]: Bringing relief items into the gymnasium serving as an evacuation shelter

Within March 2011, right after the earthquake hit, we promptly and intensively launched 19 relief projects (totaling 164,630,193 yen) carried out by 15 JPF member NGOs. Our renewed website posts overviews and outcomes of these projects as well as voices from the NGO staff. Please go take a look here: http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/ngos/201103.html

Website Renewed: Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Special Website

25th February 2013 17:38

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We renewed the special website for the response to the Great East Japan Earthquake! We are featuring our Tomoni Ikiru (Living Together) Fund and member NGOs’ grant projects as well as the projects we coordinated, domestic disaster prevention projects, and project reports. Please go take a look at the full lineup of content that include local voices from relief providers in Tohoku here: http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/

Blog Update

28th January 2013 17:12

A musical called “A Common Beat” was performed by people who were affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Ishinomaki City and other areas.
http://blog.japanplatform.org/entry/2013/01/28/000000

Blog Update

19th December 2012 16:27

Great East Japan Earthquake related event: Ofunato Machizukuri (Community Building) Workshop was hosted by NPOs and NGOs.
https://bit.ly/3bOxbkj

Blog Renewed!

17th December 2012 18:22

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We have taken all of the blog posts on Tohoku that we have had so far and renewed it as a blog for JPF as a whole here: http://blog.japanplatform.org/

In addition to introducing the readers to JPF’s grantee organizations, we plan on sharing information on JPF’s various committees and events as well as on interviews with donors and others who have been involved in JPF’s efforts. We hope you take a glance at the blog and come back for more to come!

New Post: Telling People About How Tohoku Is Now

17th December 2012 13:14

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We have reported and now uploaded stories from the people of the town of Namie in Fukushima Prefecture, the northern Sanriku Coast in Iwate Prefecture, and the city of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture, all of which are communities in the Tohoku region affected by the earthquake. When disaster struck, we grabbed their hands to show our support, and we are not letting go just yet! We thank you in advance for your warm support of our continued relief efforts.
https://bit.ly/2V60WqO

Great East Japan Earthquake Update Posted

11th December 2012 18:26

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Today marked a year and nine months since the Great East Japan Earthquake. We would like to extend our sympathies once again to those who have been affected by this disaster and to express our sincere hope for a speedy full recovery of the region.

Please find the latest progress report on our response efforts (whose third page is captured here in the image):
http://www.japanplatform.org/info/2012/12/111538.html

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Evaluation Report

18th October 2012 12:43

We have now uploaded to the website an evaluation report for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. This evaluation has been conducted by a team that includes external experts, and they have assessed grants provided to our member NGOS during the Initial Response Period, or the first three months of our response to this disaster, as well as during the Emergency Response Period that has followed (and this evaluation covers until 31st March 2012).
http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/report/evaluation.html

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Progress Report: A Year and 6 Months

11th September 2012 15:35

The total donation amount that we have received since the occurrence of the earthquake until 31st August 2012 is 6,904,324,924 yen. 96% of this total amount has already been used for grant projects carried out by JPF member NGOs and as grants through the Tomoni Ikiru (Living Together) Fund; all of these funds are used to support the people who have been affected by this disaster. There are currently nine ongoing JPF grant projects by our member NGOs and 40 ongoing grant projects supported through the Tomoni Ikiru Fund. For more details, please check out the progress report here: https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2012/09/111511.html

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Report

12th July 2012 14:17

The Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Report has been updated onto the JPF website: http://tohoku.japanplatform.org/report/general.html

A Year and 3 Months Since the Great East Japan Earthquake

11th June 2012 15:57

We have uploaded the latest updates. You can also find the report that compiles all that has happened in the year since the earthquake. https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2012/06/111523.html

English Version of Report and YouTube Video Now Available

6th June 2012 14:47

English version of the report and the YouTube video for the "Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake” have been uploaded here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46traGca9JE
https://bit.ly/32f0BDS

JPF’s Response Activities Reporting Session

21st March 2012 11:45

The Great East Japan Earthquake was an unprecedented complex disaster with damages from the earthquake, tsunami, and the nuclear disaster. Since its occurrence, JPF has been working on relief activities aimed at “independence,” “mutual coexistence,” and “reconstruction of the heart” for the people and communities affected, and this has been possible due to the help and cooperation and support among many people, businesses, and international organizations.

At this time, we will be reporting on all of our relief activities and also sharing the various support we have received from outside of Japan. We hope that this will serve as an opportunity to think about creating a platform of assistance where diverse parties are connected without barriers being put up between them. We welcome your attendance!

[Date and Time] Wednesday 28th March 2012 14:00-17:00 (Doors open at 13:30)
[Venue] U Thant International Conference Hall, United Nations University (in Omotesando, Tokyo)
[Program]
1. Opening Remarks
- Toshio Arima: Co-Chairperson, Board of Directors, Japan Platform
- Nobuyuki Koga: Co-Chairperson, Social Contribution Committee, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation); Chairperson, Board of Directors, Nomura Securities Co.; Executive Director, Board of Directors, Japan Platform

2. JPF Activities Report
- Tetsuya Myojo: Domestic Programs Division General Manager and Tohoku Office Director, JPF

3. Research on Overseas Assistance for the Great East Japan Earthquake
- JPF Research Team

4. Panel Discussion: “Creating a System of Empathy and Solidarity Without Barriers”
- MCs: Keiko Kiyama, Co-Chairperson, Board of Directors, JPF; Yasuhide Nakamura, Associate Chairperson, Board of Directors, JPF
- Panelists: Kazuhiko Tada, Board Chair, Tono Magokoro Net; Sayako Nogiwa, Tohoku Office Director, Association for Aid and Relief Japan; Seiichiro Maehara, CSR, Ajinomoto, Co.; Representative from the Embassy of Canada in Japan; Hideki Matsunaga, Fukushima and Iwate Team Leader, JPF

5. Closing Remark
-　Noriyuki Shiina, Secretary General, JPF

[Registration]
Admission is free of charge. If you would like to attend the reporting session, please email houkokukai@japanplatform.org with your name, institution, and physical address before 28th March.
*You can also come on the day of the session without registering ahead of time.

Resonse to the Great East Japan Earthquake Progress Report

16th March 2012 13:00

Please find the 12-month progress report for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake here: https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2012/03/122040.html

Reporting Session Coming Up

28th February 2012 12:40

On 28th March, we will host a reporting session for the relief activities for the Great East Japan Earthquake: https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2012/03/211130.html

Progress Report on Relief Efforts for People Affected by the Earthquake

12th January 2012 15:27

The ten-month progress report for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake has now been posted on the JPF website: https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2012/01/121445.html

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Progress Report: 9 Months

20th December 2011 16:32

Please find our update on the distribution of heaters for residents in publicly funded post-disaster rental accommodations in Miyagi Prefecture:
https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2011/12/162329.html

The 9-month progress report for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake can be found here: https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2011/12/121603.html

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Progress Report: 8 Months

15th November 2011 12:51

Progress report for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake as of 11th November 2011 is available here: https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2011/11/112034.html

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Progress Report: 7 Months

12th October 2011 19:44

The seven-month progress report for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake has now been posted on the JPF website: https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2011/10/111905.html

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Progress Report: 6 Months

15th September 2011 19:31

The six-month progress report for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake has now been posted on the JPF website. Please go check this out here: https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2011/09/091948.html

Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Progress Report: 5 Months

9th August 2011 20:13

The five-month progress report for the Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake has now been posted on the JPF website: https://www.japanplatform.org/info/2011/08/091942.html