Japan quake survivors to attend anniversary event to thank Taiwan

Want China Times, CNA 2015-03-06

Participants at an event in New Taipei holding paper cranes made for survivors
of the 2011 earthquake in Japan, March 9, 2014. (File photo/Chao Shuang-chieh)

Two survivors of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan will attend an event in New Taipei on Sunday, ahead of the fourth anniversary of the disasters, to express their gratitude to Taiwan for its assistance.

"They hope to say 'thank you' to the Taiwanese people" for their generosity in providing monetary and other donations after the disasters, Ami Ishiguro, head of the organization Arigatou Taiwan, said Thursday. They also hope to inform the public about the current conditions in the disaster areas, she said.

In 2012, Arigatou Taiwan began organizing an event each year to thank Taiwan, but it is the first time that survivors from Japan are taking part, said Ishiguro, whose group consists of Japanese and Taiwanese university students studying in Taiwan.

The event will include speeches by one of the survivors and dance and music performances.

Participants will also be able to fold paper cranes and write words of encouragement to the survivors on the origami cranes, which will later be delivered to the residents in the affected areas, Ishiguro said.

"Many people [in northeastern Japan] have not fully recovered their lives and their biggest fear is that we will forget about them," said Ishiguro, who visited northeastern Japan in December last year.

"So we hope to bring more attention to them through this event," she said.

The event will take place from 11am to 6pm at the tide-watching plaza in Tamsui harbor.

The 2011 earthquake and tsunami killed nearly 20,000 people, mainly in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures in Japan.

In the wake of the disaster, Taiwan donated about 20 billion Japanese yen (US$166 million) in aid, more than any other single country.

Related Articles:

Japan prepares to mark three years since devastating quake

As world honours the dead, Indonesia begins tsunami memorials