Japan Press Weekly

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2016 April 13 - 19 [JCP]

JCP collects donations for disaster victims in Kyushu

Japanese Communist Party members led by Chair Shii Kazuo and Secretariat Head Koike Akira on April 17 staged a money-collecting drive near Shinjuku Station in Tokyo for victims of the massive earthquakes that struck the southwestern region of Kyushu.

Shii noted in his speech that more than 100,000 people in the stricken areas are living in temporary shelters and many of them are even sleeping outdoors. He added that the JCP on April 16 urged the government to immediately suspend the operations of the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Koike, who is also a medical doctor, pointed to the fact that the gas and water supply has been interrupted there and that food and drinking water are running in short supply. He stressed that it is also feared that many of the survivors will suffer from mental exhaustion caused by the continuing aftershocks.

An 18-year-old male worker coming from Iwate Prefecture donated money with his four friends. He said to Shii, “When the great earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern region of Tohoku five years ago, many people across the country supported us. I want to support victims in Kyushu in turn.”

A 56-year-old woman living in Fuchu City in Tokyo said, “I don’t care what the name of a political party is when it is working to provide assistance in rescue and relief efforts. The Sendai power plant should be shut down to protect the safety of local residents. I cannot accept the government plan to restart offline nuclear reactors around the country.”

Despite the strong wind and rain, the amount of contributions exceeded 90,000 yen in only 40 minutes.