concern about the recent earthquake and aircraft accident in Japan

 

Dear colleagues,

I sincerely appreciate your thoughtful message expressing concern about the recent earthquake and aircraft accident in Japan.

Noto holds a special place in my heart as it is a base of the Kanazawa University Ecology Group. They started another UNESCO Chair since 2023.  I have been there several times.  One is a UN University event at Nanao city. Noto.

There was a significant incident at Haneda on the 2nd. Personally, I frequently take flights from New Chitose (Sapporo) to Haneda every year. The fact that there were no casualties among the passengers is, at the very least, a relief. My secretary is a former flight attendant, and her husband works for JAL. She was deeply shocked when she saw the news but she mentioned that the annual evacuation drill must have been a success. I told her that JAL should take pride in that.

I have had the opportunity to witness the beauty of the Shiretoko World Heritage Site from a Japan Coast Guard plane. Unfortunately, this incident occurred while the team was departing for Noto for relief efforts.

As we embark on a new year, my fervent hope is that it will not be marred by misfortunes and disasters in the world.

 Best,