Letter from Mayor of Rikuzentakada City, Iwate Prefecture

[Provisional translation]

When the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake hit our city, we lost an unimaginable number of precious lives and valuable assets, and we suffered devastating damage. 

Since then, we have received heartwarming support from all over the world.  Victims have moved to temporary housing, and we are trying to get their lives back to normal little by little.

However, as we face numerous challenges on the long road to recovery and restoration, we came to realize that in order to rebuild a city where citizens can live safely, we will need continuous support from outside of our community.  That is why no words can express how grateful we are and how much we appreciate the support that we received from each one of you.

At this moment, although we would like to do so very much, we don’t know how to repay your kindness.  All we can do is to consolidate our efforts to achieve the full recovery as soon as possible, and we are determined to work as hard as we can.

Again, thank you very much for your support.