'Türkiye, Japan must share quake-specific knowledge to build more resilient societies'

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – The “common destiny” of Turkish and Japanese people living on the faultlines demands the two peoples share quake-specific knowledge in order to build more resilient societies, the Japanese ambassador to Türkiye said.

Suzuki Kazuhiro, Japan’s top diplomat in Türkiye, in an exclusive conversation with Anadolu, reflected upon Tokyo’s solidarity and support to Turkish people in the wake of the deadly Feb. 06 twin earthquakes.

“Earthquakes will never leave us,” said Kazuhiro, who personally supervised the delivery of emergency medical relief goods delivered by special aircraft operated by Japan Self-Defense Forces. “We must cope with it wisely and effectively.”

Over 50,000 people died due to the earthquakes that hit Türkiye in early February. Millions of people in 17 provinces were affected.

Hundreds of international search and rescue professionals and volunteers, including from Japan, flew into Türkiye to help the disaster-hit people.

Soon after the news about the devastation caused by twin quakes spread, the Japanese government decided on Feb. 6, “to dispatch a search and rescue team of the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR),” said Kazuhiro.

Around 73 Japanese rescuers worked day and night in southern Kahramanmaras province – the epicenter of the deadly quakes.

Besides, Tokyo dispatched the medical team of JDR under which 75 health personnel provided various medical services in Oguzeli in Gaziantep province.

“Our team provided not only initial emergency care to those injured but also offered more sophisticated care such as inpatient acute care, general and obstetric emergency surgery for trauma and other major conditions,” said the ambassador.

- Japanese solidarity at highest levels

After the unprecedented situation in the aftermath of the twin quakes in Türkiye, Kazuhiro said Japanese Emperor Naruhito wrote a letter of condolence to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also held a telephone summit meeting with Erdogan.

Kishida “conveyed our decision to provide emergency assistance worth $8.5 million and additional provision of emergency relief goods,” said Kazuhiro, who has traveled to many municipalities around Türkiye since being posted in Ankara two-and-a-half years ago.

He said the twin quakes reminded the Japanese people of their own past sufferings.

It “made us vividly recall the extreme difficulties we ourselves had during the Great East Japan Earthquake 12 years ago,” he said, referring to the devastating earthquake that hit northern Japan during the winter of 2011, resulting in the death of over 19,500 people.

Many ordinary people in Japan “want to do something for the Turkish people,” he said.

“I’ve been receiving a lot of inquiries from Japan. The Japanese National Diet, our parliament, has decided to donate a certain sum of money from each MP’s (member of parliament) monthly salary,” said Kazuhiro.

He added that Japanese companies are also donating their medical and pharmaceutical goods to Türkiye, “trying to supplement what the disaster areas need.”

“Small and large business corporations, various associations, not to mention philanthropic foundations and NGOs, they are all mobilized to do something for Turkish people in time of extreme difficulty. Help from Japan will continue, with our earnest prayers of “gecmis olsun (get well soon)!” the ambassador said.

- AFAD in times of Great East Japan Earthquake

Kazuhiro recalled the support extended by Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) during the Great East Japan Earthquake.

“We have never forgotten what Türkiye did for us in our extreme hardships,” said the ambassador.

Ahead of the 10th Memorial Day of the Great East Japan Earthquake two years ago, Kazuhiro said: “I presented my ambassador’s award to the AFAD team which conducted search and rescue mission for the longest periods among various oversea teams sent to our great earthquake.”

Fast forward to February at Incirlik Airbase, said the ambassador: “I saw (Japanese) Commander Takahashi wearing a big badge of (Mustafa) Kemal Ataturk (founder of the Republic of Türkiye) on his left shoulder. This was his way of showing a sense of solidarity with Türkiye. Many more people in Japan are feeling like this man.”

Commander Takahashi was part of a team that brought aid and relief packages to Türkiye.

“I personally feel the urge to do something for the disaster-hit people as now is really the time for us to return what we had received 12 years ago,” said Kazuhiro.

After the search and rescue period concluded, Japan started delivering emergency relief goods including tents (700 pieces), blankets (32,600 sheets), sleeping pads (5,400 pieces), and generators (250 pieces) to the disaster regions, said the ambassador.

Besides, a JDR mission comprising recovery and reconstruction experts visited the disaster areas for about 10 days “in order to exchange views on an effective and practical recovery and reconstruction.”

They “shared the experiences and lessons learned from this time and the past between our two earthquake-prone countries,” said the ambassador.

“Japan hasn’t left the disaster areas. We are continuing to operate in the earthquake-hit regions,” said Kazuhiro.

“Our two countries should share not only the great sorrows we faced in the past but also experiences and specific knowledge in order for both of us to build more resilient and better societies,” he added.