Otsuchi residents marking 3-year tsunami disaster hit with offertory theft

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OTSUCHI, Iwate Prefecture--As grieving family members arrived at the devastated town hall here on June 11 to pray for those who died more than three years ago in the tsunami, more misery awaited them.

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Otsuchi residents marking 3-year tsunami disaster hit with offertory theft
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OTSUCHI, Iwate Prefecture--As grieving family members arrived at the devastated town hall here on June 11 to pray for those who died more than three years ago in the tsunami, more misery awaited them.

They were told that an offertory box inside a small shrine erected in front of the building had been broken into and most of the donations taken.

A 43-year-old staff member in charge of taking care of the wooden box discovered the theft at around 8 a.m. that morning.

The box, measuring 60 centimeters long by 42 cm wide by 50 cm high, was found to have its drawers broken, where only 23 yen (22 cents) remained, according to prefectural police, who are investigating the theft.

The last time the box was emptied was on April 11, and average monthly offerings totaled several tens of thousands of yen.

The bad news added to the reminder of the anguish in their midst, as the building remains in ruins.

With the day marking the three year, three month anniversary of the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, the family members visited the hall to offer prayers to those who died here.

Forty people were killed, including the mayor, when the old town hall was struck by the massive tsunami. Currently, the two-story reinforced concrete structure is being torn down.

However, Mayor Yutaka Ikarikawa hopes to keep the memory of the disaster alive, by preserving the front of the building as is.

Hide Ueno, 71, whose daughter was among the 40 lives lost, agrees.

"My feelings have not healed, but this place, where my daughter and other people I knew were when they died in the tsunami, holds deep meaning to me," said Ueno, who was among those who visited on June 11. "I really want them to preserve the front part of the building."

At the same time, some families oppose any preservation of the town hall as they "can't bear looking at it." Otsuchi officials remain undecided on whether a part of the building should be preserved, or the entire structure should be demolished.

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