The Fifth Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake

March 11, 2016 marks the 5th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake that took so many irreplaceable lives and caused unprecedented damage centered in the Tohoku region. On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the earthquake, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences once more to those people, and on behalf of the Government of Japan, I would like to express my profound gratitude for the tremendous support that was received by everyone towards the recovery and reconstruction during that difficult time.

Immediately after the earthquake, we received numerous warm words of encouragement and sympathetic support from the San Francisco Bay Area and from all across the U.S.. Even after five years, many local organizations remind of Tohoku and the affected areas and continue to carry out various commemorative events in addition to donation activities. This unceasing support from so many places reaffirms the deep ties of friendship at the grass-roots level between Japan and the U.S. and serves as a great encouragement to the people in the affected region faced with the challenge of reconstruction and recovery.

With renewed determination as we commemorate the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco together with all concerned organizations offer our enthusiastic support for the further reconstruction and recovery of the Tohoku region and all of the affected areas. Furthermore, as the Japanese government is being engaged in the reconstruction of the affected areas and ever mindful of the lessons gained from great sacrifice, we will further accelerate our efforts toward reconstruction and revitalization of the affected areas, have a continuous review of comprehensive disaster prevention measures in order to protect the lives of each citizen and their property and proceed to build a strong nation that is resilient against disasters.