Thank you Vietnam: Japan Ambassador

Japanese ambassador Tanizaki Yasuaki

“I’m so touched that many people from big cities to small villages in Vietnam all offer sharing and sympathy to us,” Japanese ambassador Tanizaki Yasuaki told Tuoi Tre about Vietnamese people’s warm affection for his quake-hit country.
What’s your most emotional image in your mind about Vietnamese’s kind heart?
Yes. I saw a 75-year-old man visiting the Embassy and donating VND300,000 (US$15), equivalent to his five days of retirement pension.
I don’t know what his connection to Japan is, but I assure you that he has a good fondness for my country.
The earthquakes and tsunami two weeks ago is the most terrible natural disaster probably since World War II in Japan’s history. Three disasters including earthquakes, tsunami, and radiation leak happened concurrently, causing uncountable damages and losses to locals and Japanese economy. However, amid tragic circumstances, we are obtaining sympathy and aids from many countries world-wide including Vietnam.
I’m also moved when seeing lots of people including roughly 650 groups coming to the embassy to commemorate and pray for the Japanese victims. In our heart, supports from Vietnam go beyond our expectations. Japanese citizens now need such encouragements to overcome pain, loss, and difficulties ahead to come back to normal life soon.
What are greatest difficulties that Japan is facing?
The first challenge is to restore infrastructures as best we can. The second is to tackle the radiation leak in Fukushima Prefecture’s crippled nuclear power plants. We are trying our best to handle them.
Japan frequently suffers natural disasters. Could you provide us with some experiences and tips in coping with such catastrophes?
Firstly, you should build architecture works, which could endure incredible earthquakes.
When I was a child, a large number of people were killed by storms and other natural disasters. When our economy is growing, we could afford to build stronger buildings. In fact, we cannot do it overnight, but I hope Vietnam could soon.
Second, an advanced earthquake and tsunamis warning system needs to be set up.
Japan is technologically advanced in this field. Immediately after the quake, Japanese citizens all obtain information about the possible tsunami from the automatic system.
Two weeks ago, although the system still worked well, the massive power of earthquakes and tsunami exceed our anticipation.
Third, all Japanese were taught how to handle natural disasters when they were still young by their families and their schools.

Kind colleagues in Mainichi Newspaper During the past days, Tuoi Tre’s reporter Lan Phuong has received generous and substantial supports and assistance from Mainichi Newspaper, the third largest paper with circulation of 4 million copies in Japan per day. In Tokyo, Mr. Shinoda, working at International desk, enthusiastically provided her with information about the areas and streets struck by the tsunami, and means of transportation, and so on. At the representative office based in Mito, office chief Suetsugu not only offered me decent accommodation, but also sent two staffs to assist me to make reports in the recovering areas and visit refuges as well, Phuong said. Thanks to this special help from Mainichi, Tuoi Tre’s reporter could easily access the devastating areas to make groundbreaking reports about the catastrophe.

Tuoi Tre hands over VND3.5 billion to Japan embassy

Tuoi Tre today continued to hand over VND2.5 billion in cash to the Japanese Embassy, making the total donation sum amount to VND3.5 billion. The money was donated by Tuoi Tre readers.

Japanese ambassador Tanizaki said all proceeds will go to the Japanese Red Cross Association to help Japanese victims.

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