Summary
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who often says West Virginians have much in common with the Japanese, sympathizes with that countrys experiences as Japan struggles to overcome the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant crisis. Rockefeller studied in Japan in the 1950s and has visited often. He knows the language. He has many Japanese friends. Only 16 percent of their land is arable land that can be used, Rockefeller said in a Friday telephone interview. The Kobe earthquake (of 1995) was incredibly destructive but didnt seem to stay in the news. This one sank in deeply in the international psyche, the sadness of it. The whole nuclear thing is powerful and fascinating and scary and deeply thought provoking, he said. We have a 50-mile radius (radiation danger zone) for Americans. They have a 15-mile radius because they dont have any place to put people. Ive spent a lot of time thinking about where do these people go? When I was studying in Japan I had a ton of friends from up there. I used to go there during summer break, to farms that have gone through 25 generations of the same family. What to do when the earth buckles? Its very hard for them. The tsunami wiped out many fishing villages on Japans northeast coast. Their fishing industry was already under tremendous pressure, Rockefeller said. The West Virginia Democrat chairs the Senate Commerce Committee. We deal with that a lot on Commerce because we have oversight over the agencies that deal with fisheries, he said. The Japanese do a tremendous amount of whaling. Fishing generally is getting closed in around the world because were overfishing. You have to have predators in the water and those predators have gone down something like 60 or 70 percent so the whole fishing industry but particularly in Japan is under enormous pressure anyway. The fight for survival will be tough. The hesitancy of some Japanese to leave their homes reminds Rockefeller of 1977. He had just become governor and there was a flood in the southern West Virginia coalfields. I opened all of the National Guard armories and nobody showed up, he recalled. They all just stayed with friends. Rockefeller also recalled when he condemned some high ground in Mingo County and had housing built for flood victims. At first no one moved in. It was fascinating to discover the determination and will of West Virginians to stay close to their home even if their home didnt exist any more, he said. There really are parallels between our state and that country. The hard-working, close families. . . Its going to take a long time for the Japanese to fully recover, Rockefeller said. I think we have to settle into that. But the senator also believes the Japanese will recover. He cited two examples from history: * Following World War II, They went from being very militaristic to being totally positive, human, helpful, un-cynical. I think that was partly because of (Gen. Douglas MacArthur), who handled it well. MacArthur oversaw the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951. He kept the emperor, Rockefeller said. I think keeping the emperor, to the average Japanese, was a sign of respect they needed. They decided, Lets build Japan together. They are resilient, tough. * Youve got to remember that when Commodore (Matthew) Perry went into Tokyo Bay in 1853 (seeking a trade treaty), Japan had been shut off from the rest of the world for 250 years. Not a single outsider had been allowed in. Imagine how far behind they were. They re-tooled themselves as a nation a unified, homogenous people. I think maybe in the history of the world it had to be the fastest industrialization and modernization ever. They are a strong people and they have a certain sense of fate about them. All of this plays a little into their very stoic reaction. The earthquake and tsunami had to be a terrible fright and worry. But they are part of a Confucian and Buddhist culture. They sort of understand that things happen. They have to accept that. They therefore set their minds to coming back from those tragedies. The story of those workers going into the radiation zone, knowing theyre probably going to die, is very Japanese. They did that for their country. Asked if he believes the U.S. has adequately responded to the disasters in Japan, Rockefeller said, The safest answer to say is, No. But I dont think it would really be fair. First of all, you go into all of the tragedies that have happened over the last several years and there has never been anything like this. I think there was a profound shock that the forces at work within the earth could do something this bad to a nation which has been through so much, a nation so attuned to adversity. In Japan there are in fact 3,000 earthquakes a day, Rockefeller said. I was in those when I was over there as a student and when I went over there as a representative of West Virginia as governor and senator. Earthquakes are incredibly routine. Most are small. The ones that shake buildings are fairly routine, which is why they have incredible construction standards. But has the U.S. disaster response been adequate? I have to say, yes, Rockefeller replied. When he heard of the disasters, the senator said, My first reaction was, I thought of all of my friends over there. But frankly my first thought was of the Japanese managers of businesses in West Virginia. I think I wrote about 20 long, hand-written letters to them. But I didnt talk about the effect on their businesses. I only talked about their families, their relatives and friends. Had they heard from them? What was the news like? Could we help? I felt very good about that because I was talking to them as individuals, not as heads of businesses. Rockefeller said he also wrote his long-time friend Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, whose family established what is now Toyota Motors. I couldnt trust the e-mail because I didnt know whether it would work, Rockefeller explained. He e-mailed me back saying everything was fine with his family. Two weeks ago, Toyoda and some of his associates stopped by Rockefellers office in Washington, D.C. The senator said it is obvious that although 85 percent of the parts Toyota uses in North America are made in North America, the 15 percent they make in Japan are obviously going to have an effect on what goes on here. Thats the inexorable nature of an international economy. The question is, how long will it take to resolve? In my mind, I dont think it will take long at all. Although several non-production days have been scheduled at Toyotas Buffalo plant and other factories in North America, Toyota is doing everything possible to avoid layoffs, Rockefeller said. Theyve been very careful about that. They think about not disrupting the workforce. That is not typical.
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Rockefeller Sympathetic to Plight of Japan
Here, in alphabetical order, are some of the organizations that are accepting donations for Japan earthquake and tsunami relief. To read reports about charities, consult ...
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