Presentation by Ambassador Odano
At the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Japan
Brussels, 22nd March 2011
Chairman of the Delegation, the Honourable Mr. Van Baalen
Distinguished Members of the Delegation
1 Introductory Remarks
First, I would like to express my sincere appreciation towards the Chairman of the Delegation, Mr. Van Baalen, honourable Members of the Delegation and the European Parliament for your words of solicitude and support at this difficult time for Japan. We have received truly a great number of messages of condolences and support from our European colleagues including many members of the Parliament. Mr. Van Baalen came to sign a book of condolences. I am convinced that the solidarity expressed by the European people has certainly reached the hearts of the affected people in Japan.
Today marks the 11th day since the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. Over the past 10 days, the people of Japan have reacted calmly to the situation, honoring their bonds to family and community and helping one another, cooperating in efforts to overcome the conditions they face. I must say I am very proud of my fellow people who are acting with such dignity and strong determination to help each other under extremely difficult circumstances.
In Japan, we are now facing two major challenges. The first challenge is the damage caused by the massive earthquake and tsunamis, and the second one is the incident at the nuclear power plants in Fukushima. These are the two crises that Japan has to respond urgently.
2 Responding to the damages of earthquake and tsunami
There has been considerable confusion in relief operations, and there are some still difficulties we face. But we are gradually overcoming these difficulties, and relief materials are beginning to reach the affected people who need them. I believe we will make progress in getting people's lives back on track. In this regard, I thank you very much for the generous offers we have received from the EU for the humanitarian assistance. I recognize that this process is currently well underway, and I am convinced that your assistance will further deepen our bilateral relations.
3 Responding to the incident at the nuclear power station
There have been continued efforts to ensure the security and safety of the Fukushima nuclear power plants which were affected by the earthquake and tsunamis. At this moment, all the people involved from the Self-Defense Forces, police, fire brigades and the Tokyo Electric Company are literally risking their lives to work on overcoming this crisis. I would like to express my deepest respect to the people who are sacrificing themselves for this operation. The Japanese government has also been working in close cooperation with the IAEA and other international partners in order to overcome this challenge. For example, last Friday, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano met our Prime Minister Kan and our Foreign Minister Matsumoto, and he had expressed his readiness to support Japan in any possible way.
Let me remind you that the relevant authorities of the Japanese Government are distributing necessary information on the current situation of the incident which is being constantly updated. We are making our utmost efforts to distribute such information as fast as possible and also as precise as possible. The information is updated on the websites of Prime Minister’s office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and the IAEA. Please take a look at the paper we have distributed on table with the specific addresses of the relevant websites. These sites are updated regularly and are the sources of the most current and accurate information. In addition, the Japanese government has been organizing regular briefing to the diplomatic entities in Tokyo including the EU delegation and the EU Member States Embassies regarding the incident.
What I would like to reiterate here today is that the measures taken by the Japanese government to evacuate the people within the 20 km radius from the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant and the 10 km radius from the Fukushima Daini Power Plant and to ask the people living in the area from 20 km to 30 km radius from the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plan to stay in the houses or buildings are sufficient. The radiation level of the regions outside these areas are quite low. It is not at the level to cause any health damage. Therefore, it is very important to respond to the situation in a calm and objective manner based on the scientific data.
4 Concluding remarks
Without any doubt, this is a moment of true crisis for us, the Japanese people. However, just look back on our country's past. After the World War II, Japan has overcome great challenges. We have achieved this with the strong determination and conviction to reconstruct the country with the help of like-minded countries like the EU. This has allowed the creation of the peaceful, stable and prosperous society that we know today. With the support of the whole world including the EU, we must not allow ourselves to become discouraged in facing the biggest crisis in our nation's history since the World War II, as Prime Minister Kan has rightly described this disaster. We must be resolved to do whatever it takes to move forward in order to overcome this crisis. If the government, people and our international partners including the EU work together hand in hand, I am fully convinced that we can conquer the current difficulties.
Finally, I would like once again to express my gratitude to the Delegation and the European Parliament for the solidarity and support that you have generously demonstrated towards Japan. Thank you for your attention.