MINAMI-SOMA, Fukushima Prefecture -- Before the roar of engines fills the air at the Suzuka Circuit on Oct. 9, a more tranquil sound will be prevalent when a chorus of teenage girls from a quake-hit city sings Japan's national anthem.
MINAMI-SOMA, Fukushima Prefecture -- Before the roar of engines fills the air at the Suzuka Circuit on Oct. 9, a more tranquil sound will be prevalent when a chorus of teenage girls from a quake-hit city sings Japan's national anthem.
The voices of the MJC Ensemble, consisting of junior high and senior high school girls from Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, will be broadcast in 160 nations worldwide during coverage of the Japanese Grand Prix F1 race in Mie Prefecture.
The singing group was founded in 2009 by Yoichi Kaneko, who leads a chorus at an elementary school.
On March 11, Minami-Soma was hit hard by the magnitude-9 earthquake, tsunami as well as radiation from the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Following the disaster, the 20 members of the choir had to evacuate to various parts of Japan. Even now -- after the emergency evacuation warning was lifted -- only seven members remain in the city.
The MJC Ensemble resumed rehearsals on May 4. Before the disaster, they had rehearsed once a week, but in May and June, they only practiced once a month. They were finally able to increase rehearsals to twice a month starting in July.
Emu Yamada, a 14-year-old in the second year of junior high, attends practice by having her mother drive her almost three hours each way from Aizu-Wakamatsu city, where the family has been relocated.
In August, the MJC Ensemble participated in a chorus festival. The story of how the members come together from various evacuation centers and temporary shelters to rehearse caught the attention of the media, and the group has since been invited to sing on TV shows and at events backed by the Japan Tourism Agency and other organizations.
F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi saw the group performing and invited the members and their families to attend the Japanese Grand Prix, which got under way with practice on Oct. 7. The group will be performing before the big race on Oct. 9.
Only 13 of the 20 members were able to attend rehearsal on Oct. 1, the group's last rehearsal before the F1 performance. Kaneko says he told the members to "sing while remembering your cherished friends." Due to their still unsettled circumstances, not every member can perform on race day, but 17 of the 20 will be singing for the global audience.
"I feel nervous when I think that our performance will be aired worldwide," says Maiko Kawasaki, a 16-year-old first-year high school student who continues to live in Minami-Soma after the quake.
"But I'm looking forward to it, because I'll get to see (chorus) members that I haven't seen for about a month. I hope to sing with all my heart."
F1 driver Kobayashi says he is glad that his sport will provide a stage for these young survivors.
"By delivering to the world the voices of children from disaster-hit regions, we hope to show people around the world Japan's gratitude as well as our energy and vitality," he says.