Five years ago, on March 11, 2011, Japan experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake.
This was an unprecedented natural disaster that included the earthquake and a tsunami that devastated the Tohoku region of our country, further complicated by severe damage to a nuclear power plant in Fukushima. The scale of the disaster and extent of the damage were overwhelming. Nearly 16,000 people were lost and more than 2,000 are still counted as missing.
In the face of that, our friends in the United States and around the world stepped up with tremendous aid and assistance. In the days and months that followed, the powerful relief effort of Operation Tomodachi by the U.S. military became a very visible symbol of the friendship between the United States and Japan.
Coloradans and the people of the Rocky Mountain region showed great compassion and generosity. Well wishes and ideas to help came pouring into the consulate office in Denver, from Colorado and surrounding states. Aid efforts were spearheaded by groups such as the Japan America Society of Colorado, and symbolized by kids such as those at Garden Place Academy elementary school in Denver.
I am glad to report that, while there is still much to do, our recovery is proceeding smoothly. In most of the damaged area, infrastructure has been rebuilt and more than half of the people displaced have been able to return. Reconstruction in the most heavily damaged coastal areas has begun and is continuing on schedule, as are cleanup and monitoring operations for the Fukushima nuclear plant.
A major theme of the recovery has been to treat it as an opportunity, to improve various aspects of social and economic systems, to make society better overall.
This May, we look forward to welcoming G7 Summit world leaders and visitors to Japan, and expect that they will see great progress in the rebuilding of Tohoku with the future in mind.
As we move ahead, our reconstruction efforts are combined with preparation and improvement projects scheduled for the Tokyo Olympics of 2020. We are confident that as this process continues, Japan will be strongly back on its feet in the near future, and encourage you to visit at any time.
I would like to convey once again our most sincere thanks to you, the many groups and individuals who helped during that time of need in Japan. We will never forget.
Makoto Ito is consul general of Japan in Denver.
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