Battle tested and experienced from operating overseas in war-torn districts and areas suffering from natural disasters, Japan-based NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) rushed to the Tohoku region following the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake. Numbering 60, it marked the first time this many domestic groups had been involved with humanitarian aid within Japan. Though wanting to make use of the adaptability and expertise they developed abroad, the NGOs had to deal with confusion caused by a
Battle tested and experienced from operating overseas in war-torn districts and areas suffering from natural disasters, Japan-based NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) rushed to the Tohoku region following the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake. Numbering 60, it marked the first time this many domestic groups had been involved with humanitarian aid within Japan. Though wanting to make use of the adaptability and expertise they developed abroad, the NGOs had to deal with confusion caused by a lack of central coordination, something they are not used to worrying about when working internationally.
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Swarms of flies added to the misery of the quake-stricken region.
Before the March 11 quake, the Pacific shoreline of the Tohoku region was home to a thriving fish processing industry. However, along with other rubble, the quake-generated tsunami that struck the coast littered town areas with large quantities of marine products that at the time of the quake were being kept chilled in cold storage facilities.
The resulting decay provided the perfect breeding ground for flies.
Unchecked, the flies could act as intermediaries for E. coli bacteria, cholera and other health hazards. More common in Third World countries with poor sanitary conditions and the tropics where temperatures are continuously high, no one anticipated that fly sources would be left uncontrolled for so long in Japan.
Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (NICCO), a Kyoto-based NGO, has been tasked with exterminating the insects. In July, when weather conditions are at their best for the flies, the organization carried out 61 exterminations in places such as Kesennuma city in Miyagi Prefecture and Ofunato city in Iwate.
In early September, I accompanied the group as it set out to fight the fly problem in Rikuzentakata city, Iwate Prefecture.
Most of the central part of town had been cleaned up; however, scattered piles of rubble waiting to be carted off remained. Looking like a crushed piece of guardrail, the ceiling of a cold storage warehouse stuck out of one of the piles. Though it was already past midsummer, the temperature was close to 30 degrees Celsius. Fat from the rotting fish carcasses clung to parts of the rubble and an infestation of flies swarmed about.
A truck carrying a one-ton tank filled with insecticide rolled up to the pile. Wearing protective clothing and masks, volunteers from pest control companies begin spraying insecticide over and around the pile using a large electric vaporizer. On this particular day, two volunteers each from Fukuoka, Shiga, Yamanashi and Niigata prefectures carried out the work. NICCO provided four trucks and the necessary equipment and pesticide for the day's job; however, each of the volunteers paid their own way to the site.
Contacting the municipal governments and taking overall control of the project was Kakuro Kanno. Kanno studied entomology through to the graduate school level, and while working for a pest control company, volunteers at NICCO. In mid-May he conducted a survey of the disaster-stricken area, noting that, "I realized if things were left as they were that we would definitely see an outbreak of flies." Since then, he has been spending about half his time in the Tohoku area.
PEST CONTROL EXPERTS
NICCO was founded as the Kampuchean Refugee Relief Program in 1979. Later, it expanded its activities to encompass other areas such as Africa, the Middle East and Southern Asia as well. Currently, the organization is working in Malawi to control infectious diseases such as mosquito-borne malaria. In the Palestinian territories it is striving to improve the quality of olive oil to help the Palestinians gain their independence; one of the pillars of this work is the extermination of fruit flies.
As a result of this type of work, NICCO has a pest control specialist serving as a vice president.
"His (vice president's) personal connections and knowledge of the group's activities were put to use in Tohoku this time," said Norimasa Orii, NICCO secretary general.
According to the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC), which aids NGOs active overseas, there are more than 40 groups currently working in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The number rises to 60 if groups that have already concluded their missions are included. Multiple organizations were also active during disasters such as the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 and the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu Oki Earthquake; however, this is the first time this many Japan-based NGOs have been active at a disaster site in Japan.
Although there is no clear line differentiating NGOs from NPOs (nonprofit organizations), the majority of groups carrying out relief work in disaster and troubled areas overseas are referred to as NGOs.
The 1960s saw the birth of NGOs in Japan, and they began operating in earnest in the latter half of the 70s. Their initial establishment was triggered by the outpouring of refugees from Indochina at the time and they soon began appearing one after the other. Later, they began offering help for agricultural community development, health care, education, environmental protection and human rights in addition to their support for refugees. Currently more than 400 Japan-based groups are active in more than 100 countries, aiding Japan's diplomatic efforts.
Makoto Shimada, chief coordinator for the Taskforce for Disaster Response created by JANIC the day after the earthquake, said, "The organizational skills of the NGOs were demonstrated through their provision of emergency assistance immediately following the quake. Now each group is taking advantage of their particular expertise and assisting in areas such as hygiene and sanitation, medical treatments and caring for children's psychological needs. The overseas experience gained by Japan's NGOs over more than a quarter century has proved helpful on the domestic front as well."
Another organization playing a major role has been the Japan Platform (JPF), established in 2000. A cooperative framework incorporating NGOs, the business community and the government of Japan and funded by the government and private sector donations, JPF seeks to help Japanese NGOs speedily carry out humanitarian aid work overseas when situations deteriorate due to conflict or large-scale disasters.
In 2006, it amended its charter so it could respond to domestic calamities as well. Three hours after the March 11 quake, it made the decision to dispatch resources domestically and began calling for donations. By the end of April it had collected about 5 billion yen ($65.2 million) from private sector sources and was financially supporting NGO activities. As of September, 16 organizations were receiving funding from JPF. Eighty percent of the cost of NICCO's 200 million yen insect control project is being met through JPF funding.
LACK OF AWARENESS WITHIN JAPAN A PROBLEM
From the start, NGO activities within Japan have not always gone smoothly. Even for NGOs with an abundance of experience operating overseas, it is hard to say that their expertise and financial strength are well-known in Japan.
Peace Winds Japan was established in 1996 and has carried out relief work in over 20 countries and territories to date. Tetsuto Binnaka, head of the group's Tohoku activities, was in Sri Lanka helping out with damage caused by flooding when the earthquake struck. He arrived in Tohoku about a week later.
"Overseas we are welcomed when we say we are an aid organization from Japan," Binnaka said. "Back here in Japan, however, it isn't that easy."
In the evacuation centers people have said things like "It's a rather suspicious organization isn't it," and when they deliver daily necessities to people in temporary housing units they are asked "are you going to send a bill later?" "It has been difficult to change people's perceptions," notes Binnaka.
Tetsuya Myojo, head of JPF Tohoku office, recalls that coordination was a big challenge.
In troubled spots overseas, local government functions often are severely impaired; therefore the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) usually brings together the NGOs from each country and creates "clusters"--groups with a shared operational interest. The NGO's join the cluster associated with their area of expertise such as hygiene, health care, and education. Information pertaining to what is needed where is shared and activities are coordinated to ensure there is no overlap.
In Japan's case, governmental functions were all operating reliably so this coordination did not take place. However, there was no centralized coordination taking place in the afflicted areas.
"Local government officials (in the affected areas) were themselves victims of the disaster and suffered immense hardships working in a very confusing situation," Myojo said. "The government's office for volunteer coordination was focused on dealing with individual volunteers and the NGOs only had the experience of being coordinated by others (not doing it themselves) when operating overseas."
Even so, with the passage of time the situation has improved. In August, the Liaison and Coordination Council for Disaster Victim Support was established in Miyagi Prefecture. The council is an extension of meetings called for by the Self-Defense Forces from the end of March to discuss the allotment of food rations being prepared by the forces in soup kitchens at evacuation centers. The prefectural government serves as the council secretariat and brings together the national government's headquarters for disaster response, the Japan National Council of Social Welfare, and NGOs and other private sector groups to share information. Similar opportunities for discussion are starting to be created in Iwate Prefecture and at the municipal level as well.
"Until now, local governments and NGOs that are active overseas have had no contact with each other," said Seijiro Yokoyama, the deputy director of the social welfare department in the Miyagi prefectural government. "A new relationship has been born through the earthquake. In order for us to be able to provide attentive support, the resources of NGOs are needed."
With more than half a year having passed since the earthquake struck, NGOs are facing serious funding challenges. Between March, when the quake occurred, and the end of August, JPF collected a total of 6.5 billion yen in donations. However, the entire month of August only provided 20 million yen of that total, as the pace of donations has dropped drastically. Around June, discussions began to take place among some NGOs that "our primary mission is overseas relief work, and we should start refocusing on that."
"Going forward, NGOs will want to share roles with the government in helping disaster victims get back on their feet," Noriyuki Shiina, chief of operations Unit of JPF, said. "Considering the scope of the disaster, I would like to see this continue for three years. I hope a lot of people continue to maintain an interest in the affected areas."