Riverside Mayor Ronald Loveridge, State Controller John Chiang, Board of Equalization Member Michelle Steel, Councilwoman Jan Perry, Councilman TomLaBonge, Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Aileen Adams, Consular Corps Dean Ambassador Lapsenson, friends, and colleagues:
On behalf of the seven Japanese organizations in Southern California co-hosting this ARIGATO event, I thank you all for gathering this evening.
180 days have passed since that terrible earthquake and tsunami hit the Tohoku region. It took more than 20,000 lives and destroyed over 200 square miles of land.
People are still suffering acutely from loss. Of family members. Of neighbors. Of homes. Of jobs. Of family heirlooms and memories. And more. Let alone the uncertainty of the future. It will take years for the region to fully recover. In the midst of it, however, people remember that they are not alone. Within Japan, 700,000 volunteers went to Tohoku to help. Three billion dollars was raised to show solidarity.
Japan also received a huge outpouring of support from around the world. L.A. County Fire Chief Pat Rohaley and his Urban Search & Rescue Team were sent to Ofunato and Kamaishi, in Iwate prefecture, the very next day after the earthquake. Mayor Loveridge and the citizens of Riverside immediately started a fundraising drive for Sendai, their sister city and the largest city in the disaster area. Jan Perry and other L.A. City Councilmembers stopped all cars in front of L.A. City Hall from 7 o'clock in the morning, days after the earthquake, to solicit donations for victims. Mayor Villaraigosa and Deputy Mayor Adams convened a conference of donors and charitable organizations here at the JACCC to better coordinate their efforts. Many of you attended a memorial service in this Noguchi Plaza. You may have also attended charity concerts in Pasadena, Little Tokyo and many other places.
On those occasions, I often felt tears welling in my eyes thinking about the sorrow and misery of the victims. But more than that, I was moved to tears by your solidarity and kindness.
The Japanese were all deeply touched by the massive show of goodwill from foreign countries and citizens. Tonight we have installed five TV monitors to show several videos. Most of them were made by everyday Japanese. You can find many others on the Internet. The Japanese people were so grateful to the world that they wanted to express their feelings in this way. Not only the victims in Tohoku but also all Japanese felt that we were not alone, that we were connected to the world.
As 9/11 changed the Untied States, March 11 has been changing Japan profoundly. We have determined to remember and cherish the kizuna -- the bonds of friendship -- with other peoples. As we were helped, so will we help others. Japan will rise above this disaster and come back even stronger and more eager to contribute to the international community.
In Japan, we drink sake on various occasions: celebrations, anniversaries, funerals, happy times, difficulties, reunions, and farewells. This evening, to express our gratitude to the people of Southern California and to encourage the three prefectures of the Tohoku region, namely Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate, we have brought in their proud sake. There are tables representing each prefecture. Members of the three prefectural associations in Southern California are present at each table.
Lastly, I take this opportunity to say good bye to you all. My wife and I will leave Los Angeles for Tokyo tomorrow. Thanks to you and many other people in Southern California, we are able to conclude this most fruitful and memorable tour of duty. We particularly thank the Nikkei community. Since I started workingi n the Foreign Ministry 32 years ago, we've moved 10 times. In each place we met interesting people and made many friends, but we couldn't feel that we belonged to any community. Here in Los Angeles, it has been different. You preserve a very stronge sense of community, and yet you welcome newcomers like us. Thank you so much for accepting my wife and me as your own. Thank you. |
