Column
Assistance from the United States Following the Great East Japan Earthquake

In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, assistance from the United States stood out in its content and scale, and it reaffirmed the reliability of the alliance with the United States for many Japanese people.

In response to the unprecedented disaster, Japan and the United States maintained close communication at all levels of government, starting with the telephone consultation between the heads of state of the two countries on the day of the earthquake, and five telephone consultations between the two heads of state and foreign ministers in March.

As U.S. President Barack Obama repeatedly articulated the intent of the United States to assist Japan in any way possible, the United States provided Japan with swift and large scale assistance immediately after the disaster, including the deployment of the U.S. Forces and the dispatch of rescue teams and nuclear experts.

Also, in the private sector, charity events were held throughout the United States, and many Americans, including private sector organizations, prominent artists as well as small children sent many messages of support.

Donations made to the American Red Cross amounted to USD 296 million(*).

Through these responses and assistance after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance as well as the strong bond between the two countries were exemplified.

This column focuses on Operation Tomodachi and a public-private partnership called TOMODACHI, and introduces their contents by including interviews with those involved in the operation and the initiative.

(*) This figure is as of August 11, 2011, according to the American Red Cross.




1. Operation Tomodachi

The U.S. Forces including the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan which had been deployed in the western Pacific right after the disaster launched an operation designed to support the disaster-struck area without any delay.

This operation, implemented in close cooperation with Japan Self-Defense Forces, was named gOperation Tomodachih (gtomodachih means friend in Japanese).

The operation was unprecedented in scale with approximately 24,500 personnel, 24 ships, and 189 aircraft mobilized at its peak, according to the U.S. Forces, Japan (USFJ).

The scope of the operation ranged from the search and rescue of missing persons, the transportation of supplies to disaster-struck areas, and airport rehabilitation work, to various kinds of assistance in relation to TEPCOfs Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station.

Many heart-to-heart interactions took place in the disaster-struck area as the name of the operation said, and a lot of words of gratitude were expressed by the survivors, who witnessed the dedication of the U.S. forces.

The activities not only highlighted the firm alliance between the two countries that is rooted in close cooperative relations in normal times but also provided an opportunity to reacknowledge the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance and USFJ to Japan.