AsianForum 130th "Tsunami and Recovery: A Report on 10 Days of Volunteer Work in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture"

130th
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
14:00-15:00
Conference Room 201/202, Dialogue House 2F西田昌之 (Nishida Masayuki)
(PhD Course, Resource Management in Asian-Pacific Program, The Australian National University / Research Associate, Institute of Asian Studies, ICU)
Tsunami and Recovery:
A Report on 10 Days of Volunteer Work in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture

The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, 2011 resulted in a mammoth tsunami that robbed the lives of countless victims, making it the one of most destructive natural disasters in Japanese history. The explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant have added to the disruption of people’s lives. Many help and recovery plans have been announced and naturally many people are eager to engage in volunteer work. However, while many may wish to go to the affected areas to help, such actions may be dangerous if not taken with extreme care and caution.

The Institute of Asian Cultural Studies invites you to listen to a report by an ICU graduate, Mr. Nishida Masayuki, who spent ten days between April 2 and 12 working as a relief volunteer in Kamaishi, one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami. Mr. Nishida majored in environmental anthropology, and did field work in a village in northern Thailand. When areas that suffered great damage. A symposium and exhibition was held which allowed ICU students and Mitaka citizens to know more about the recovery experience andengage in discussion and international exchange.

As the Asian Forum on April 19 we will be able to learn more from Mr. Nishida who will have just returned from ten days in Kamaishi City. He will be able to tell us about the reality of volunteer activities in devastated areas and about future plans, including long-range plans for relief and recovery. We hope that many students and Mitaka citizens will take advantage of this opportunity to think about the reality of the tsunami disaster and the limits and possibilities of what we can do to help.

Presentation in Japanese