Article in Berlingske Tidende, 11 March 2012
One year after the Great East Japan Earthquake
One year has passed since March 11th, 2011 – the day of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The earthquake followed by a horrific tsunami and nuclear accident took its toll on thousands of lives and shocked people all over the world. We will always remember the victims, but now our focus is on helping the survivors and rebuilding the devastated regions.
The victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan still have huge difficulties and many are struggling to rebuild their lives even now. They need support and encouragement. However, in this time of hardship, there are two elements which have greatly encouraged us. One is the assistance from more than 200 countries and organizations all over the world. The other is the admirable behaviour of the people affected. Even in disaster, they have behaved with dignity, helped each other whenever they could and made every effort to regain their strength. This is called ‘kizuna' in Japanese and is something we should remember in the rebuilding of the Japanese society. I believe we should let everyone know that “kizuna” is an ideal form for all kinds of relationships.
Heart-warming assistance from Denmark
After the disaster, the Danish government, Danish companies and the Danes did not hesitate in offering support to Japan: Heart-warming words from Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II and former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the dispatch of an emergency team of experts, a sending of 24,000 blankets, significant contributions from many companies, a special church mass, charity concerts, the invitation to Denmark from Fredensborg Municipality to children from affected area, citizens and tourists who donated money on the street and a 3 year-old girl who handed me a five kroner guided by her mother….
In June last year, only three months after the disaster, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik showed courage by visiting the disaster-hit city, Higashimatsushima. His Royal Highness spoke to victims and comforted children at a local nursery and school. In a Japanese TV interview, the Crown Prince said, “I wanted to show the world that Japan is safe”. In the following November, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Joachim and Princess Marie also showed their sympathy by visiting Tokyo and meeting children from the disaster area.. These visits by members of the Danish Royal Family encouraged people all over Japan .
As Ambassador of Japan, I would like to thank all the Danes for their heart-warming support and encouragement in the year gone by.
Present state of Reconstruction and Recovery
In the unprecedented disaster, more than 19,000 people lost their lives or are still missing and more than 120,000 houses were destroyed by earthquake or washed away by the tsunami. A survey in January, 2012 showed that more than 300,000 people lost their homes or cannot live in them because of contamination. They are now being temporarily housed or have moved away from their home prefecture. Many companies also suffered from the disaster as the economic and social infrastructure was destroyed in many areas. The damage ran up to 1.2 trillion DKK (3.5% of Japanese GDP, almost two thirds of Danish GDP). However, 90% of the affected companies have now recovered their production, so much so that their level of output is the same or even exceeding pre-disaster levels. In January, the IMF expected that the GDP growth of Japan in 2012 and 2013 would be 1.7 %, 1.6% respectively.
The Fukushima Daichii nuclear power plant was damaged by a horrendous tsunami and was in a serious situation for some time. Thanks to its strenuous efforts and foreign supports over the year, Government of Japan declared last December that all the reactors at the plant were in a state of “cold shutdown”. Reviewing its energy policy from scratch in the wake of the earthquake is an urgent challenge for Japan . Now there is a focus on safety in addition to the other main concepts in Japan 's energy policy of stable supply, economic efficiency and environmental friendliness. Japan is going to formulate an innovative strategy for energy and the environment to be announced this summer. This will encourage the use of renewable energy sources which will hopefully produce cutting-edge models in the areas of energy creation and energy saving. In turn, this will support Japan 's contribution to green growth in the international community and promote a low-carbon society through international frameworks.
Although the transport network was heavily damaged, main roads, motorways, airports were rebuilt at astonishing speed. On the other hand, plans for the reconstruction of devastated sea ports are proceeding very slowly, if at all. Fishermen who lost their boats and fish farms and the farmers who lost their land after the tsunami and radiation contamination are suffering especially hard. The decontamination of the land contaminated with radiation is underway, but will take a long time to complete. Even the farmers who can produce the food are suffering because there is distrust, albeit unfounded, of their products. Regarding the safety of food, the testing system in Japan has been further strengthened and improved. Japan wishes to call on the EU which has relatively stricter import sampling test compared with other countries to remove or ease their restrictions to match the current situation.
Innovative and Open Reconstruction
The Basic Guidelines for Reconstruction put the costs of recovery and reconstruction measures, at not less than about 1.64 trillion DKK in a 10-year restoration period. 1.46 trillion DKK have already been approved by Diet. We should strive for “innovative reconstruction for future” and “reconstruction open to the world” by taking advantage of our safe high technology and knowledge.
Recovery and reconstruction after the disaster remain the top priority on the Government of Japan's policy agenda. The system of “special zones for reconstruction” instituted at the end of last year, introduced special measures such as a five-year reduction in or exemption from corporate tax on companies locating new facilities in the area and exemption from a visa fee for foreign visitors to disaster stricken prefectures Preferential treatment of high-level human resources in immigration control should promote the acceptance of foreigners contributing to the revitalization of Japan. By attracting domestic as well as foreign investment, the goal is to turn the reconstructed area into a model of an environmentally friendly area.
Higashimatsushima greatly supported by Denmark was selected as an “ Environmental Friendly City ” in which the government aims at promoting advanced town planning for the ageing society. This project is a national strategic project where that the government supports cutting-edge and environmentally friendly town planning projects. Together with the reconstruction plan, the idea is to attract investment for renewable energy power plants and attain the goal of covering all electricity consumption with natural energy in 15 years, part of which with support from Denmark .
For recovery and reconstruction Japan must further accelerate its “open reconstruction” and will work for the revitalization of the Japanese economy. We want to promote free trade agreements with EU to encourage the flow of people, products and capital by opening up both markets, whereby both EU and Japan can get an important opportunity to promote growth and a way to get out of the crises.
(Finally)
Only when facing difficulty, can a person's value be tested which can also be said of state and the nation. In 1864, Denmark lost the war to Prussia and gave up two of the most affluent duchies in south Jutland,Schleswig and Holstein . It faced an unprecedented national crisis. We can learn from past situations when reconstruction took place after times of desolation and instability. Pastor Grundtvig encouraged and enlightened the Danes by focusing on the individual rather than the regulations laid down by the clergymen. Dalgas and his son strived to cultivate the heath land of Jutland based on the idea “We should regain inside what we lost outside”. In Japan , Denmark is respected not only as a beautiful peaceful country, famous for its farming and generation of renewable energy, but also as a strong country which could overcome crisis by uniting the nation. Now, Japan is being tested. It is the time for us to open Japan 's doors wide with hope and determination and, by sharing knowledge and making bold reforms, go forward with the reconstruction of our country for future generations.