Students from Jesuit universities in Indonesia, Philippines, Korea, Timor-Leste and Japan spent two weeks learning about post-disaster community recovery from the experience of Japan. Through volunteer activities and exchanges with people from the local community, the students studied the progress … Continued
Prayers and memorial services were held across Japan on March 11 as the country marked the first anniversary of the deadly earthquake and tsunami that struck its north-eastern coast.
Much of Japan came to a standstill as the minute of silence was observed at the moment the quake hit, 14:46 local time.
In Sendai, where much of the devastation was concentrated, a Mass of memorial was held at the city’s Motoderkoji Cathedral.
Human and environmental devastation caused by floods in Australia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka and by earthquakes and their aftershocks in New Zealand, Japan and Myanmar is massive. Although Japan has the technology and experience to cope with earthquakes, the latest tsunami defied preparation. The consequent nuclear crisis brought the worst of nightmares into reality.
Jody Magtoto SJ was in Japan in May, helping in the relief effort for victims of the tsunami. He reflects on how he rediscovered his Jesuit identity in the midst of the rubble.
I had been in Kamaishi for two days by then. Because I had taken some courses in Japanese, I could sort of understand what was going on. But I came to realize that because my words and thoughts were in English, I could not articulate what I wanted to say. I decided then to keep my words to a minimum lest I offend or be misunderstood.
The earthquake and resulting tsunami that killed some 14,000 last March in Japan has caused another tsunami, this time of solidarity and outreach, said the president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.
“Caritas Internationalis has done a great job coordinating all these resources. This effort has enabled Caritas Japan in recent weeks to provide food, blankets and basic necessities to more than 10,000 people affected,” said Cardinal Robert Sarah in an interview with XENIT upon his return from a mission trip to Japan in May during which he visited the most affected places.
When the rector of the Jesuit scholasticate in Tokyo, Fr Juan Haidar, asked me whether I was interested in volunteering for relief efforts of Caritas Japan, I initially hesitated since my command of the Japanese language is not good. Yet I felt moved to respond despite this disability and despite the risks.
She sat quietly at the corner bench. The crowd was pressing in that small omise (a videoke snack bar which draws memories from times past when entertainers/ talents came in droves to almost all corners of Japan to earn a living, in an illusive quest for a dream, most of which turned to a nightmare). But, these are different times. The omise was not for “happy hour”, rather to break the sad news that not much of control is being gained over the nuclear reactors affected by the tsunami.
A group of volunteers from Tokyo spent the last week of March in Sendai, helping out at the emergency centre set up by the Sendai Diocese with the cooperation of Caritas Japan to coordinate humanitarian aid operations in Sendai. Among them was Fr Yasunori Yamauchi, one of our newly ordained Jesuits in Japan. He shares his reflection here.
Ten days have passed since my first report on the situation in Japan immediately after the earthquake and tsunami of March 11. The number of victims has increased daily, to over 24,000, as more bodies are discovered and more people are reported missing. Meanwhile, the critical situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant is causing concern not only in Japan but around the world as well. Local farm and dairy products have shown higher levels of radiation, and only yesterday warnings were issued concerning contamination of the Tokyo metropolitan water supply.