Ten years after the Great East Japan Earthquake:　Message from Ambassador KAWAGUCHI to the people of Latvia

Ten years have passed since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake took place with a massive tsunami that hit the Pacific coast of Tohoku in Japan on 11 March 2011. Approximately 20,000 people lost their lives, while a further 6,000 suffered injuries; communities across north-eastern Japan (Tohoku Region) suffered extensive and severe structural damage. It is the largest earthquake on record ever to hit Japan. I am still filled with great sorrow when I reflect on the lives lost in this catastrophe and the hearts of the bereaved families.
 
When Japan had great hardship following the disaster, the Latvian people extended wholehearted support and deepest sympathies. 
 
On this occasion, I would like to express my most sincere appreciation to Latvia and its people for the great and warm friendship and outline the reconstruction.

We received 100,000 Latvian lats from the Latvian government as a donation, 32,000 lats as public relief charity and in-kind support inclusive of timber products and drinking water. Numerous memorial and charity events took place. The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Rigas Doms held an ecumenical memorial service to show solidarity and unity with the Japanese people. Deputies in Saeima took part in it together with many ordinary people. Mr Gundars Daudze, then the Deputy Speaker and Mr Edvards Smiltēns, then the chair of the parliamentary relation with Japan actively encouraged people to join it. These warm feelings of Latvian people deeply touched the heart of the Japanese people.
 
H.E. Mr Valdis Zatlers, then President of the Republic of Latvia and Mrs Zatlers, H.E. Mr Valdis Dombrovskis, then Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia, and many more wrote their sincere messages in the condolence book placed at the Embassy of Japan in Latvia.  H.E. Mr Artis Pabriks, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense, H.E. Mr Girts Valdis Kristovskis, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms Sarmīte Elerte, then Minister for Culture, Mr Gundars Daudze, then Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, and many others extended condolences as well.

Japan deeply appreciates solidarity expressed by the Government of Latvia and its people through donation, material aid and emotional support.
 
Thanks to this solidarity, areas struck by the disaster have made steady progress in reconstruction and revitalization. We have mostly restored production facilities. We have lifted evacuation orders in most region other than limited areas where returning is still hard.
 
Areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami are at the stage of “overall completion” of reconstruction; those affected by the nuclear disaster continue to require a medium - to long-term response.
 
In total, over 470,000 people evacuated from their homes in 2011. As of February 2021, the number of evacuees has decreased to 41,000, among which approximately 18,000 people are still in temporary housings. Now the area under evacuation order is about 2.4% of the Fukushima prefecture, 0.09% of entire Japan.
 
The level of radioactive materials has dropped markedly since the disaster, and foods available on the market in every area in Japan are now totally safe.
 
To ensure food safety following the accident, we evaluated risks related to radioactive substances in food and set strict standard values. Japan has the world’s most stringent level of standards for managing radioactive contamination of food. Foods exceeding the standards are not allowed to be distributed by continuous monitoring inspections. 

We established the limits so that the radiation levels would be lower than the level considered safe internationally: additional radiation dose derived from food is less than one mSv/year for both sexes and all age groups. Thus, limits for radioactive caesium set itself below 100Bq/kg in general foods: a much tighter standard than that of the European Union below 1250Bq/kg.

Very few foods recently have exceeded the standard limit, 100 Bq/kg.

For instances, when fishery products with radiation levels that exceed the limit, 100 Bq/kg, are found, measures including restrictions or voluntary restraint on distribution are adopted. In surveys done by Fisheries Agency, the result represents a significant trend that the radioactive caesium excess ratio has decreased and recently very few fishery products exceed the Japanese maximum level (100Bq/kg).

The additional annual radiation dosage received when eating an average meal in Japan is about 1/1000 of international standards of 1 mSv.
 
These surveys and inspections of radioactive materials in food indicate that radioactive materials no longer observed in many food items such as Japanese rice and livestock products.
 
The amount of radioactive caesium ingested in daily dietary life is infinitesimal to harm human health.

Mammoth tasks are still ahead of us: 

Decontamination, decommissioning of the reactors, rebuilding of local communities and livelihoods, psychological care for the affected people, eliminating the infodemic, viz. negative reputation impact. 

The Government of Japan will keep on making every possible effort in working towards complete reconstruction.
 
In return for the warm supports from across the world, Japan has been making efforts to build a resilient society and “mainstream disaster risk reduction” through the development and international cooperation. At the Third United Nation World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai in March 2015, Japan led to adopt the “Sendai Framework for disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030“.
 
We are actively contributing to the effort by the international community in guaranteeing human security, ensuring inclusive growth, and making the world a place where no one is left behind.
 
We promote the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).  From the early stage of the spread of Covid-19, Japan has provided assistance for measures against it based on the concept of “human security.” It focuses on each person in a vulnerable position. 
 
The disaster brought an unprecedented ordeal for Japan; however, it allowed us to become keenly aware of the importance of the bond of friendship, which unites our two countries together.
 
The two countries have fostered and developed warm friendships since 26 January 1921. This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Friendship between Japan and Latvia. The gesture of solidarity shown by Latvia ten years ago proved the highlight of our hundred years of friendship.
 
Japan will never let go of the memory of the wholehearted support and deepest sympathies from Latvia. 
 
I intend to labour to develop that these bond of friendship further and passed on for our shared future.
 
As soon as the Covid-19 situation permits, I look forward to seeing again active exchanges of the people, visiting each other for business, sightseeing and studying, investment and trade in both directions, thereby deepening bilateral relations between Latvia and Japan.
 
Finally, I would like to reiterate the deep gratitude for all we had received from Latvia.