On 3.11: 3 Interviews, Many Thoughts
The Embassy of Finland in Tokyo interviewed three symbolic people related to Finland about their thoughts on the 3.11. triple catastrophe, nowadays referred to as 3.11 in Japan. Finnish born MP Marutei Tsurunen, Helsinki based pianist Izumi Tateno and Etsuko Takemoto, a Japanese mother residing in Helsinki all answered to the same three questions: 1) Where were you when the earthquake occurred? 2) Were you involved in any charity events or support action? 3) How do you see Japan now, one year after?
1.
I was at home in Kamakura with my wife, when the quake occurred. Electricity went off suddenly, and the cell phone stopped working for several hours. We were literally in the dark and did not quite know, what had happened. When the cell phone started working, we started to receive information about the situation. It did not take long until the electricity started flowing again, and we could start following news on the television. My daughter had to stay overnight at her workplace in Kawasaki, just like so many others. The earthquake’s seismic intensity was about 5.0 in Kamakura. Our home, which is a Finnish log house, did not shake much and the quake did not damage the house.
2.
In my work as a Member of the House of Councilors I have served for a year as the Chairman of the Special Committee on Disasters, and I was in this position when the Tohoku catastrophe took place. We visited the area often and took note of the municipalities’ wishes concerning aid and help. I received a lot of requests from Finland, there was clearly a willingness to help. For instance Finnish Tutteli baby milk was delivered to the area. We took care of transporting the relief aid from the airport to Tohoku. I provided my secretaries with a car and they made sure that the aid reached those in need. We naturally took care of the expenses by ourselves. All in all, a Member of the House of Councilors’s function is to listen to the needs and wishes of people and pass them on, and that is the role I have been working in.
Japanese MPs gave 500,000 yen of their salary a month for the duration of six months to help with Tohoku’s catastrophe relief. Starting from next month, 14 percent of MPs’ salary and 8 percent of state officials’ salary will be used for the same purpose. I have also bought the so called catastrophe bonds. The bank has pledged to invest the funds in the catastrophe-stricken area. Of course, this is not charity but a means to manage personal assets, and I wanted my savings to be invested in this way.
3.
Taken the circumstances, we are doing well. Of course there is a lot to do. The debris is a big part of this, since the volume of it is huge. It has somewhat been piled up by now, but only 10 percent of it has been processed duly. However, it is possible to maintain everyday life in the area, since the roads have been repaired. 150 000 people live in temporary housing. They have two years to live in those premises, and these people are trying hard to find other options for accommodation.
Radiation, which can be found in grain, rice and tea, is not probably going to increase anymore. Although the situation at the power plant might not be completely stable, it is unlikely that greater leaks should occur from now on. The biggest threat is a new earthquake either in Tokyo or elsewhere. At the moment we are building embankments to protect us, but it is obvious, that if the waves are 20 metres high, no embankment will stop it. The biggest challenge by far is the threat of another natural catastrophe, and we have to at least try to minimize the damage. People are the most important. They are ready and willing to help. Not as much as a year ago, but still. The whole world is watching Japan and encouraging us. The worst is over.
Helsinki-based pianist
1.
I stay in Japan from January to June every year on a regular basis, since I go on various performance trips. I felt a tremendous seismic shock when I was writing in my study, at my home in Meguro,Tokyo. My house was in a mess with fallen utensils and other things, but luckily I was not injured. I decided to stay home in fear of aftershocks, when my wife called me from Finland to check whether I was safe. The circumstances were of course reported in Finland, and so my friends there contacted me almost every day. My son Janne was in Yamagata on the day of the earthquake. He was trapped because of the blackout, and so led some anxious days. A week after, I had a chance to see Janne in Kyoto, when he told me that he was wondering what he could do himself as a musician. I said to him: “Don’t hurry things. Do what you do every day, and think what you can do on top of that.”
2.
I participated in many charity concerts starting from the one held at Tokyo Opera City on May 18, 2011. I also organized a charity concert in Helsinki on Aug 18 in order to support the devastated Minamisoma Municipal Culture Hall in Minamisoma, Fukushima, where I serve as an honorary director. Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki offered the hall for free, while many Finnish musicians gave their hands to realize the entire event. There was a huge applause at the end of the concert, and a fair amount of donations was collected. In the beginning we thought to hand the donations to a charity association, but in the end they were given directly to the culture hall. I thought best to donate in a simple and clear way. I’m planning to give a free concert at the venue inviting residents of Minamisoma on April 25.
3.
The only thing I can do to heal hearts exhausted from the catasrophe, is to perform music to make people happy. I visited Minamisoma from March 1 to 2. On the first day, I gave a grand piano to Haramachi Dai-san Elementary School and held a concert. The piano was a donation by Showa University of Music. I am ready to travel around Japan and cheer up the afflicted people.
Etsuko Takemoto, a Helsinki-based Japanese mother
1.
I was taking my daughter to a music lesson when my father called from Japan, saying “don’t worry about us.” I ended the call quickly since I was in a rush, but I felt uneasy... my father had never called before just because of an earthquake. So I checked the news on the internet with my mobile phone, and was shocked to learn about the devastation.
I couldn’t do anything back at home, I just helplessly watched the news about the big black tsunami. I started thinking what if it was me, how are the babies and their families doing in the affected areas. The image of helpless mothers with hungry crying babies popped in my head, and would not go away. I had to do something. That night, I asked my friends via SMS what they thought of sending Tutteli (liquid milk for babies) to Japan.
2.
I thought to send the Tutteli milk right away to babies and mothers in the affected areas, since the Japanese market does not have these liquid types but only powders to make baby milk with. You need hot water to make baby milk with powder, but water was lacking in the affected areas. So two of my friends and I decided to take care of sending Tutteli to those in need.
We negotiated with Nutricia Baby, the manufacturer of Tutteli, for discount and initially bought 2000 packages. The money came from ourselves, our families and friends who supported our idea. Finnair agreed to deliver them to Japan free of charge. Utilizing twitter increased the number of people involved with the project in Finland to seven, and many others volunteered to help with clearing customs, passing quarantines and sending the milk packages to the disaster area. And so 2000 packages worth of about 100,000 yen arrived in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, two and a half weeks after the disaster. Import regulations for daily products are usually very strict, but since these were relief supplies, formalities were simplified.
Ms. Takemoto also made efforts to send Santa Claus to Japan last July to cheer up the Tohoku children in evacuation.
3.
I don’t know how to put my current feelings into words... what I could say is, that even after one year, the shock I felt on 3.11, the fact that so many precious lives were lost in an instant, how the beautiful cityscapes of Tohoku were washed away, and that dreadful nuclear disaster... these images never faded in me, they remain everyday in my heart.
Since I live abroad, the things I could do to help are limited, but I would like to continue to have exchanges (with the volunteers in the Tohoku area) and to send out information the best I can. I walk hand in hand with the Japanese people so that the beautiful Tohoku can restore its everyday life and even be happier than before 3.11, and so that people who passed away can gaze from the sky with relief to see Japan heading towards recovery.
Ms. Takemoto, now temporarily residing in Luxembourg, is a mother of a 4-year-old girl and one-year-old boy