Operation Tomodachi
Here in Japan, we are not really aware of what help other countries are giving unless you watch a lot of CNN or the BBC. The rescue work being done by other countries is not shown too much on Japanese television. They have mentioned "Operation Tomodachi" (which means "friend" in Japanese). I heard about that some time ago on CNN, but I saw it on Japanese television for the first time yesterday, March 28th. They showed a photo of a US aircraft carrier with lots of tiny boats dog tailing it like there always are and they showed the sailors hard at work carrying food etc. Then they showed food and toy distribution on the ground. Food for 60,000 people had been provided.
Also, the US military, along with the Japanese Self Defense Force is cleaning up the ports all along the coast of Tohoku. They showed sonar shots of what looked like cars at the bottom of the port area. The waters are so black, that the divers are almost blind to conditions underwater and have to do everything by feel.
CNN said that what looked like a completely destroyed Sendai airport two weeks ago is now operational because of clean up done by the US military and the Japanese SDF. Big US military cargo jets can now land. A crew of US military air traffic guidance experts stand on top of buildings to guide the big airplanes in. But, you will rarely see this kind of news update on Japanese TV. I guess they have too much news about the troubles of their own citizens to deal with.
But, several Japanese TV commentators have said that many, many countries want to help Japan, but that the Japan Govt. is too overwhelmed by what is happening in the country to deal with these offers. Some countries are saying that the Japanese Govt. is picking and choosing who it will receive aid from, but most people believe that that is not true, they are just overwhelmed and have not addressed that issue.
Discrimination again people from the Fukushima area
Already, we are seeing discrimination against the people from radiation effected areas in Fukushima. A boy and a man (not related) went to a doctor in the Tokyo area to see about skin ailments not related to radiation poisoning. Neither of them had been checked for radiation contamination and they did not have an "all clear" certificate that seems to be given to those who are checked. So they were refused treatment by the doctor. I think someone needs to look into this. This is terrible.
Workers in the Fukushima Nuclear Plant
The hundreds of workers in the Fukushima Plant are living under very hard conditions and I do not understand why. According to today's news, all they get to eat is two meals a day, consisting of packages of precooked rice (cold), canned chicken or fish, some cookies and juice. Also their sleeping conditions are poor. According to the news report they are "packed together like fish" (sushizume in Japanese). Why this is happening is hard to understand. Surely, Tokyo Electric can bring in some more food, for example.
Three sad stories
--In Ishinomaki, one of the hardest hit areas, a school was designated the place to go after a big quake. So a man's old mother went to the school in her car. Many parked in the school yard, others gathered in the school. The tsunami hit the school up to the third floor - something they had not foreseen, drowning everyone who had stayed in their cars and then piling those cars up against the school building. Then, the gas from the cars caught on fire and burned the cars and the school. The man said his mother had had knee surgery, with a metal plate on her knee, so he is sure the burned body he found was his mother.
--A young girl returned home after the quake to help her grandmother. The grandmother told the girl to head for higher ground and to save herself, but the girl thought everything was over, so she went to the conbini (convenience stores - what 7/11s are called in Japan) where she had been working to buy food and was hit by the tsunami. Her father has been looking for her body ever since. All that was left of the shop was a cash register. Her father can not look for his daughter forever. He has to get back to work helping to reconnect water pipes in the ruined areas.
--Another father clung to a telephone pole during the tsunami and somehow he lived. He and his 35 year old son now live on the second floor of their ruined home. The old father goes out every day to help find the dead. He says that he does not want to remember anything. He does not want to think about anything, because if he does all he can see is his dead wife, his son's dead wife and the three cold bodies of his grandchildren.
I heard on the news a few days ago that when Japan had an earthquake a few years back, that Japan had refused help from America (and other countries). The news report talked about the U.S. wanting to send search dogs and Japan said they could only after a 2 week or 30 day quarantine in port for the dogs. Of course, by that time, the search dogs would have not have been able to find live people. Not sure if they were sent anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt now makes since to me that the early news reports were kinda making it a big deal, when this time, Japan did except the help.
I would be interested to know how long ago, ...which earthquake it was.... They have changed their thinking about a lot of things over the last 20 years or so. This time there were teams from the US, the UK and others with dogs.... And when the Japanese rescue team went to New Zealand to help with that quake, they took their dogs....
ReplyDeleteJapanese people LIVE by RULES. The Japanese Diet (the Japanese Congress) members wanted to take a pay cut of 3 million yen (over 35,000 dollars or so) and give the money for earthquake assistance, but they can not do it without a bill passing the Diet (Congress)!!! They will pass the bill, but they make a big to-do over it.
I am sure the dog thing happened because dogs have to undergo a 6 month rabies check....to enter the country....and somebody could not think outside the box.
There is more out side the box thinking in Japan today. Thank goodness.