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YOKOSUKA, Japan - Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka hosted the opening of a photo exhibition, Sept. 7, at the Japan - U.S. Cultural Exchange Center titled ‘The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake through the eyes of the U.S. Navy, focusing on the relief efforts of the U.S. Navy to support Japanese citizens in that time of crisis.
Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka Captain David A. Owen provided opening remarks in front of the Japanese media.
“I hope this photo exhibition will encourage people to live strong and provide an opportunity to think what’s important,” said Owen. “I also hope that this photo exhibition will help Japanese and Americans deepen the communication, mutual understanding and good friendship.”
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku, generally known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 (Mw) undersea mega-thrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 2:46 p.m., March 11, 2011, with the epicenter approximately 70 kilometers (43 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku and the hypocenter at an underwater depth of approximately 20 miles. It was the most powerful known earthquake ever to have hit Japan, and one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900.
The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 133 feet in Miyako in Tōhoku’s Iwate Prefecture, and which, in the Sendai area, traveled up to six miles inland. The earthquake moved Honshu eight feet east and shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of between four and ten inches.
A year and a half later, recovery efforts continue with the official death toll standing at 15,854 and another 3,155 missing.
Evacuated numbers stand at 343,935 and more than 6,000 injured.
The Navy’s response to the March 11 disasters was part of a broader U.S. government effort to support Japan’s request for humanitarian assistance. That effort included coordination by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. agency for International Development, in constant consultation with Japanese authorities and the United States Pacific Fleet.
The culture center’s exhibition consisted of 49 assorted images that centered around the March 11 tsunami relief efforts, focusing on the scope of coverage provided by United States military forces.
“During the operation of humanitarian support, the U.S. Navy mobilized 22 ships, 132 aircraft and more than 15,000 personnel to support the Japan Self-Defense Forces humanitarian assistance disaster and relief operations in north eastern Japan,” said Owen.
“The Navy delivered more than 260 tones of supplies, searched more than 3,200 square kilometers of ocean during more than 160 recon flights over land and water, distributed emergency food and water to communities isolated by the tsunami and worked very closely with the Japan Maritime and Ground Self Defense Forces [JMSDF].”
For their part, the JMSDF sent approximately 16,000 personnel and 59 ships to support the disaster area.
“I think that one thing we learned right off the bat is how quickly the U.S. and Japanese forces can work together in the time of a crisis,” said Owen. “It’s one of the reasons we’re here. We look at Japan not just as allies, we look at them as a friend and a neighbor and we’re a part of this community.”
Owen also emphasized that due to the disaster, the base has learned from the Japanese how to better practice energy conservation due to the energy crunch which according to him has resulted in a 15 percent reduction of energy use as compared to levels of 2010.
In closing, Owen felt that it was important for Japanese citizens to view the exhibit so they could see first hand what the forward-deployed forces mission was for being in the region.
“I would like them [Japanese people] to come and see it. I would like them to see what we did and never forget what happened over a year ago,” said Owen. “You don’t learn without always educating yourself on what occurred in the past. I want them [Japanese] to recognize what we did and I want them to recognize that we’re here to help again if anything should happen and most importantly I want everyone to realize that we haven’t forgotten and we’re not going to forget anytime soon. And out to those people who are still recovering, the message I want to send is hang in there. We are behind you. You are strong people and you will all recover.”
The photo exhibit is scheduled to be on display until Sept. 27. The Japan – U.S. Culture Center is open Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
| Date Taken: | 09.07.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2012 19:24 |
| Story ID: | 94858 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tsunami relief photo exhibit reflects deep U.S., Japan relations, by Joseph Schmitt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
