Japan earthquake and tsunami anniversary: a whole year wasted since tsunami disaster, says Japan Red Cross
The Japanese Red Cross has accused the government of wasting an entire year since the tsunami disaster due to the slow progress of its reconstruction plans.
As the first anniversary of the March 11 approaches this weekend, the Japanese sector of the Red Cross criticised the government’s failure to agree with local authorities on a suitable master plan for reconstruction.
The bureaucratic delays and failure to produce a “master plan” were deepening the mental suffering among victims in areas worst affected by the disaster, according to Tadateru Konoe, the president of JapaneseRed Cross.
"The central government has proposed different scenarios, but they were met with strong opposition from local governments and also people affected directly by the earthquake and tsunami," he told Reuters.
"Without reaching any agreement on a master plan for rehabilitation and reconstruction, it's very difficult to even start a reconstruction process. I think the first thing is to hasten this process, then they can mobilise...
"I think that should be the very start of everything. So one year has been wasted in that sense because they haven't been able to reach any consensus."
His comments reflect a growing sense of dissatisfaction among many residents of the northeast who are becoming increasingly anxious at the slow rate of reconstruction in the worst-hit parts of the region.
(AFP/Getty Images)
It was on March 11 last year that a 9.0-magnitude earthquake triggered an epic-scale tsunami that claimed the lives of an estimated 19,000 people, more than 3,000 of whom remain missing.
The disaster also caused extensive damage at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, unleashing the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl and resulting the evacuation of tens of thousands.
Donations totalling more than £3.1 billion (400 billion yen) has been raised by the Red Cross over the past year, resulting in cash payouts totalling £2.3 billion (290 billion yen) to residents in affected areas.
A catamaran sightseeing boat that was thrown by the tsunami onto a two story building, at Otsuchi town, Iwate prefecture (AFP/Getty Images)
Long-term support is the current focus of Red Cross activities in the worst-hit northeast, with projects including the building of permanent health facilities to help treat survivors, many of whom are elderly.
As well as focusing on the physical reconstruction of the region, the psychological state of residents was also high on the agenda in terms of issues that needed to be addressed, according to the Red Cross.
"The slow pace of reconstruction along Japan's devastated northeastern coastline is contributing to survivors' stress, as there is little clarity on how long they will have to remain in cramped temporary housing," the Red Cross said in a statement.
Patrick Fuller, communications manager at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, added: "Just bringing a sense of well-being to people is really important. Even a year on, there's a lot of emotional scars the people are still dealing with.”
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