2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami Wiki
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Map of humanitarian support to the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake

Countries that sent aid to Japan (click to enlarge)

There were many Reactions to the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

According to Japan's foreign ministry, a total of 116 countries and 28 organizations had offered help in some way to Japan.[1]

Groups

Japan received offers of assistance from 33 international organizations.[2] Many religious organisations and groups sent aid to Japan.[3][4] Groups such as Médecins Sans Frontières, the Red Cross society and the Salvation Army aided the relief effort and corporations such as Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Nintendo, the Walt Disney Company, Nestlé and Sony contributed donations.[5] [6] [7] [8]

The total number of corporate donations numbered at US$130,008,543. Softbank (JPN), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (JPN), Samsung (KOR), NCSoft (KOR) and Mitsubishi (JPN) were the top five donators.[9]

However, such a large disaster, and the resultant environmental disaster that was Fukushima attracted the attention, help, and criticism of environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, which assisted with determining which areas to evacuate.[10]

13 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have deployed assistance to Japan. Turkish Red Crescent, Switzerland Humanitarian Aid Response Team, Save the Children, and Plan International have deployed technical assistance teams in the affected areas.The World Flood Programme has assisted in the transportation of 60,000 blankets to affected areas. U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union has given out emergency contact equipment, including many satellite phones and GPS devices.[11] A further 32 NGOs are taking action for the victims under a network organization called JANIC in their various own ways.[12] A summary of their activities following the disasters can be found at this external link.

Many Yakuza groups, despite being crime syndicates oftentimes compared to the Western mafia, helped provide aid to Japanese following the catastrophe. Yakuza groups have been sending trucks from the Tokyo and Kobe regions to deliver food, water, blankets and toiletries to evacuation centers in northeast Japan. This may be because Yakuza are used to know what it is like to fend for oneself, without any government or community support, because they are considered outcasts.[13]

Governments

Within Japan

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The Japanese Armed Forces were mobilized by the government of Japan following the disaster.

The Government of Japan declared areas within a 20km radius a "no-go zone" and evacuated residents living near the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.[14] The zone later expanded to nearby, highly contaminated areas. [15] The then-Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan mobilized the Japanese Armed Forces in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.[16] The Japanese government then set aside significant funding to help the rebuilding of the country after the earthquake. However, people became angry after it was revealed that a portion of the fund was used to help fun the country's whaling fleet.[17]

Following the disaster, all ministries and departments such as Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Health became involved with the immediate response. Each had different roles, for example the Ministry of Health was in charge of preparing suitable vehicles for supplying water and assigning hospitals for remedy of casualties and people who have been exposed to radiation. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with Ministry of Finance were responsible for providing food, portable toilets, blanket, radio, gasoline and other essentials. The transport systems includes subway, shipping and the Shinkansen bullet train ceased their activity in Sendai and Tokyo instantly after the quake.[18]

The Japanese governments immediate response, or lack thereof, has come under heavy criticism by the public.[19] More information about this matter can be found on the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster article.

Outside Japan

The countries that donated the most to help the Japan are as follows:
Source for the table: [20]

Table

Ranking Flag Country Amount (Japanese yen/¥) Amount (U.S. dollars/$)
1
Usa
United States 2.99 billion 30 million
2
Taiwan
Taiwan 2.92 billion 29.6 million
3
Thailand
Thailand 2.05 billion 20.8 million
4
Oman
Oman 1.07 billion 10.8 million
5
China
China 0.91 billion 9.2 million
6
Algeria
Algeria 0.83 billion 8.4 million
7
Vietnam
Vietnam 0.78 billion 7.9 million
8
Uk
United Kingdom 0.78 billion 7.9 million
9
Hongkong
Hong Kong a 0.72 billion 7.3 million
10
France
France 0.61 billion 6.2 million
11
Switzerland
Switzerland 0.55 billion 5.6 million
12
Malaysia
Malaysia 0.51 billion 5.2 million
13
India
India 0.48 billion 4.9 million
14
Brazil
Brazil 0.48 billion 4.9 million
15
Png
Papua New Guinea 0.32 billion 3.2 million
16
Singapore
Singapore 0.31 billion 3.1 million
17
Australia
Australia 0.30 billion 3.0 million
18
Mongolia
Mongolia 0.29 billion 2.9 million
19
Philippines
Philippines 0.29 billion 2.9 million
20
Italy
Italy 0.27 billion 2.8 million

A total of 128 countries offered aid to Japan, including Australia.[2] Japan specifically requested a rescue team from Australia, as well as New Zealand, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, numbering 68 rescue teams in all.[21]

Footnotes

a Hong Kong is not an independent nation, but a special administrative division of China that donated separately.

References

  1. Thomson Reuters Foundation . FACTBOX-Aid and rescue offers for Japan quake (http://www.trust.org/item/?map=factbox-aid-and-rescue-offers-for-japan-quake/). Trust.org. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  2. 2.0 2.1 . Factbox: Japan disaster in figures" (http://www.webcitation.org/5xLOSexvL). Reuters. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  3. Gil Shefler 2011-03-31. Jewish groups raise at least 2 million dollars in Japan aid (http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Jewish-groups-raise-at-least-2-million-dollars-in-Japan-aid). JPost. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  4. Sarah Jane Weaver 2011-06-15. Bishop Burton presents Mormon church aid to Japanese fishermen (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700144381/Bishop-Burton-presents-Mormon-church-aid-to-Japanese-fishermen.html). Deseret News. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  5. 2011-03-16. Disney Makes Red Cross Donation for Earthquake Victims, Encourages Cast Members to Donate by Matching (http://www.diszine.com/content/disney-makes-red-cross-donation-for-earthquake-victims-encourages-cast-members-to-donate-by-matching). DisZine. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  6. 2011-03-15. Support for Japan continues (http://www.nestle.com/Media/Statements/Pages/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-support.aspx). Nestle.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  7. . Asian Tech Companies Chip in Relief to Japan Quake Victims (http://www.pcworld.com/article/222278/article.html). PCWorld. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  8. Katya Wachtel 2011-03-15. Goldman Sachs Will Match Personal Donations Its Bankers Make To The Tsunami Relief Effort (http://www.businessinsider.com.au/goldman-sachs-will-match-personal-donations-its-bankers-make-to-the-tsunami-relief-effort-2011-3). Business Insider. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  9. . Humanitarian Response to the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanitarian_response_to_the_2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami). Wikipedia. Retrieved 2014-08-5.
  10. . Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Timeline (http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/briefings/nuclear/2014/Fukushima-3rd/TimelineLong.pdf). Greenpeace. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  11. Thomson Reuters Foundation . Thomson Reuters Foundation; News, Information and Connections for Action (http://www.trust.org/item/?map=factbox-aid-and-rescue-offers-for-japan-quake/). Trust.org. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  12. . NGO Relief Fund for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (http://www.janic.org/en/earthquake/donate/). JANIC. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  13. Terril Yue . Yakuza among first with relief supplies in Japan (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/25/us-yakuza-idUSTRE72O6TF20110325). Reuters. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  14. 2012-07-05. BBC News - Fukushima report: Key points in nuclear disaster report (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-18718486). BBC. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  15. 2014-07-08. Japanese authorities declare 20-km no-go zone around Fukushima (http://en.ria.ru/world/20110421/163625343.html). En.ria.ru. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  16. Christopher Anstey 2011-03-11. BOJ Pledges Support on Japan Earthquake; Toyota Halts Output (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-11/kan-mobilizes-forces-central-bank-pledges-liquidity-after-japanese-quake.html). Bloomberg. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  17. 07/12/2011. Anger over earthquake funds used to subsidise Japan's whaling (http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3385164.htm). ABC. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  18. USA 2012-06-30. Crisis Management of Tohoku; Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, 11 March 2011 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3469005/). Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  19. 2011-03-30. Naoto Kan and the End of 'Japan Inc.' (http://www.thenation.com/article/159596/naoto-kan-and-end-japan-inc). The Nation. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  20. 2013-04-07. US Tops Japan Earthquake Donor List, Neighboring South Korea Fails to Crack Top 20 (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/04/07/us-tops-japan-earthquake-donor-list-neighboring-south-korea-fails-to-crack-top-20/). RocketNews24. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  21. Stephanie Nebehay 2011-03-11. Japan requests foreign rescue teams, U.N. says (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/11/us-japan-quake-aid-refile-idUSTRE72A71320110311). Reuters. Retrieved 2014-08-07.

The Reference list page contains a complete list of references used on this wiki, as opposed to just this page.

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