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Lecture by C.G. Kamo 
on the Great East Japan Earthquake 
at the luncheon for Freeman Foundation2011-Summer Institute 
on Japan, Japan Studies Association

June 1, 2011

Good afternoon. Thank you for your kind introduction, Professor Overton. I am very pleased to join you here to have a chance to talk with you on the update of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Many of you are wondering what is happening in Japan now and what has become of it after more than two months have passed.

By the way, last year I invited the participants of the 2010 Freeman Foundation Summer Institute on Japan to a reception of my own making at my residence in their honor. Professor Overton remembers that and is so gracious that he reciprocates the treat this year. I gladly accepted his invitation to speak before you, social studies teachers, despite the fear I naturally have. Well, this is a very friendly group. I perceived the atmosphere of cordial friendship once I stepped in here. Like many others, I get nervous to speak to social studies teachers, but with your friendly encouragement I will give it a try.

On the disaster we suffered, I have many thoughts. First I want to tell you that this is the worst disaster we have ever had. Some people say that the earthquake is the biggest in the last 1000 years. This disaster is complex as well. The triple disasters of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit Japan and left unparalleled devastation. Recovery is going on however. It is progressing slowly, but it is getting better and better day by day. With the magnitude of destruction, it may take time to get back to normality. We have the worst nuclear disaster in Japan. So everybody speaks about the nuclear. So much so that is the case, the magnitude of devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami tends to be under-estimated.

The United States is the first country that rushed to Japan’s stricken areas for rescue and relief. The U.S. military got involved in one of its largest support activities for Japan called “Operation Tomodachi”. The operation mobilized 20,000 U.S. military personnel and 20 vessels and other resources. The U.S. military as well as the Japan’s Self-Defense Forces gained a lot from this joint operation in which they worked together to implement search and rescue, delivering supplies, recovering roads and bridges and many more. They have come to know each other better. This holds true to the JSDF and the U.S. military, and Japan and the United States respectively. The JSDF found their U.S. counterparts most trustful and capable. Japanese people were truly impressed with the effectiveness and professionalism of the U.S. military, whose positive images of various engagements were brought to each and every Japanese household through TV news and newspapers throughout the nation. The Japanese people were brought home what it meant to have the U.S. Forces in Japan and the merit of the U.S.-Japan Alliance. The U.S. side was stunned by the Japanese capability and dedication. It was educational for them that the JSDF, deployed extensively across the stricken areas, did a great job in responding to the emergencies with high standard of morale and integrity, not flinching from difficult and heavy tasks they had to bear. They also found the resilience of the Japanese local governments as well as the people in hardship. Unlike many other cases, they remained intact and composed. They were functioning in their effort to address to the challenges brought about by the disasters. The U.S. military had to take a different approach to the issue of carrying out its relief and rescue missions because of this fundamental difference. In sum, Japan showed strength on the field.

The biggest challenge we are facing now is to overcome rumors. Rumors are running that all of Japan has been contaminated with radioactive substances; that it is not safe to go to Japan, nor its air, water, soil, food, etc. Well, it is a natural response, in a way, to concern about the possible contamination caused by the leak of radioactive substances from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant.

This is a very complex accident and we have to go a long way to bring the crippled nuclear reactors into stable control. It is still unclear when we accomplish this. But we now formulated a road map to bring the end to the crisis. It may take another half year or more to attain stable control. The complete and final settlement talks years from there.

My point is that the concerns are sometimes unfounded and misled, not reflecting the current state of affairs in Japan. Last month, Secretary of States Clinton came to Japan and declared that Japan was safe, except the area from 50 miles radius from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. Actually, the Japanese government is taking pains to insure safety in all aspects of life. There might have been confusion and errors in responding to the impending emergency at the early stage of the crisis, which led to insufficient disclosure and transparency as to what was happening at the accident site. The Japanese government and TEPCO learned a lesson. Now they are working very hard to maintain transparency by holding numerous briefing sessions in disseminating information.   

The food safety is maintained in Japan. You know that the Japanese are somewhat ultra-sensitive to the quality of food and freshness of ingredients. So we are conducting a thorough monitoring on radiation levels with agricultural and fishery products from the affected areas. The rigorous standards are applied and only the safe products are allowed to be distributed and sold in the markets. So if you find food items from Japan in the U.S. supermarkets, please take them as safe as they usually are and buy them. As for air quality in Japan, it is getting better and better. In fact, the release of radioactive substances into the air took place in large part in the first several days of the nuclear accident. Since then the radioactivity is gradually and steadily decreasing. The reading of radioactivity in Tokyo’s air, for instance, has been constantly dwindling and is almost normal now. It has never been contaminated to such a degree which causes concerns to the public health.  

Another thing I would like to emphasize is that Japan is intact and open for business as usual. The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami certainly devastated the very extensive large part of Northeast Japan. In terms of the vastness of areas, its magnitude is unprecedented even to Japanese who are accustomed to earthquakes and tsunamis. But when it comes to their relative weight to Japan’s economic production, their GDP amounts to 2 to 3 % of Japan’s total GDP. Of course 2% of Japan’s GDP is not a small figure, but the figure may remind you that the damage to the Japanese economy is in such order. In other words, apart from the affected areas, Japan is open for business and functioning. Tourism suffers a lot, as they have seen a sharp drop of foreign visitors. I would say this is the best time to take advantage of great deals offered by the Japanese hospitality industry.

Power shortage is one big headache we have as we are heading toward summer. In summer, the consumption of electricity rises, as we switch on air-conditioners. The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami crippled our nuclear power generation plants in the affected areas, including the Fukushima Dai-ichi Plant, and thus cut our power generation capacity considerably. In order to avoid the mass black out, the Japanese government is now asking the industry and households to exercize 15% power cut. This may affect the manufacturing production in the negative during summer.

Now, before concluding, I want to mention about Hawaii and its support for Japan. The people of Hawaii were extremely generous and kind in offering their sympathies and support for Japan. They created a statewide fundraiser called “Aloha for Japan” and raised as much as 6 million dollars up to now. Hawaii’s population is 1.3 million. Per capita figure of donation is one of the highest in the United States, I believe. This is another testimony of the close relationship that Hawaii and Japan have cultivated over the years.

So you think you have had enough. I will conclude now by making one last comment. Some people say that Japan is the earthquake society. This means that in Japan the change would come about only if it hit severely by outside shocks. It suggests our inability to transform our society incrementally from within due to strong vested interests and conservative inertia. In our history of the past 200 years, we have successfully gone through great societal changes twice successfully; one is the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and the other the end of the Second World War in 1945.

This is a national disaster we suffered so badly. But it could be another chance for us to rejuvenate our society once more. Our future is at stake if we can make the most of this tragedy to help create a new prosperous society.

Thank you.