Humanitarian Response To The 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake And Tsunami

Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan received messages of condolence and offers of assistance from a range of international leaders. According to Japan's foreign ministry, 163 countries and regions, and 43 international organizations had offered assistance to Japan as of September 15, 2011. The magnitude of the earthquake was estimated at 9.1. This article is a list of charitable and humanitarian responses to the disaster from governments and non-governmental organizations. As of March 2012, donations to areas affected by the disaster totalled ¥520 billion and 930,000 people have assisted in disaster recovery efforts.

Requesting and handling of foreign aid

Japan had a history of blocking or slowing foreign rescue teams in case of disaster, most notably the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 in 1985 and the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995. This time the Japanese government made shift response to request foreign help.

At 18:00, March 11, 2011, the Foreign Ministry of Japan announced to the public that it had specifically requested eight countries to send teams to help Japan, including South Korea, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland, the United States, China, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Later, it also requested the activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, allowing diverse satellite imagery of affected regions to be readily shared with rescue and aid organizations.

The Japanese government softened rules for various matters after being subjected to huge criticism in the Great Hanshin earthquake for not being flexible in accepting foreign aid, including quarantining foreign rescue dogs and foreign goods, using medicine unapproved in Japan brought by foreign aid teams, customs tax for humanitarian goods, etc. The effectiveness of the Japanese bureaucracy in handling international aid had been subject to much academic research.

Governmental responses

* The city of Kandahar donated $50,000 to Japan.
* Prime Minister Sali Berisha announced in a cabinet meeting that his government was sending US$100,000 in aid.
* The government of Armenia donated $500,000 in humanitarian assistance and offered to send a rescue team of 25 people from the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

* prepared the frigate HMAS ''Sydney'' and heavy landing ship HMAS ''Tobruk'' to carry helicopters. Australian Army engineers and medical teams would be sent to Japan if this was requested by the Japanese government. Fire and Rescue NSW sent a 76-member Urban Search and Rescue team, some of which had recently been rotated through the Christchurch earthquake recovery effort, and 20 tonnes of rescue equipment. The team was transported to Japan by a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft as Operation Pacific Assist, which remained in the country to contribute to the disaster relief effort. Two other RAAF C-17's were deployed to Japan to transport supplies and equipment, all three moving over one million pounds of cargo.
* The government of Azerbaijan donated $1 million in aid to Japan for the elimination of the consequences of the disaster.
* sent a search and rescue team consisting of a medical wing to Japan. Bangladesh also gave medicine, 2,000 blankets, 500 rubber boots and 1,000 rubber gloves.
* sent blankets, food and bottled water, and offered housing in its countryside for homeless Japanese citizens.
* Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the Cambodian government to donate US$100,000 in aid.
* initially offered a 17-member victim identification team and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear decontamination equipment. Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered Canadian Forces airlift, medical and engineering capabilities. On March 16, 2011, Canada announced that it will send further aid. Canada has readied staff with nuclear expertise. The Canadian Red Cross alone has collected over $6 million in aid. Canada put on standby members of the Canadian military DART team in order to offer a continuous supply of fresh drinking water.
*, sent US$167,000 in aid along with a 15-member rescue team which left Beijing on March 13, 2011, with an additional pledge of RMB 30 million Chinese yuan (US$4.57 million) of humanitarian supplies announced by China's Ministry of Commerce the following day. The Chinese government decided to donate 20,000 tons of fuel consisting of 10,000 tons of gasoline and 10,000 tons of diesel. The Chinese navy hospital ship Peace Ark was standing by to assist whilst awaiting approval from Japan, but Japan declined the offer. The northeastern Chinese city of Changchun, a sister city of Sendai, sent 10 tonnes of drinking water to Japan. The provincial government of Jilin also said it will donate 100,000 US dollars to the Miyagi prefecture government while the municipal government of Changchun, capital of Jilin, pledged 500,000 Renminbi to the municipal government of Sendai. A super-sized 62-meter long mechanized water-pump arm was donated by China's Sany group, along with an accompanying team of 5 engineers and consultants to quell the overheating and radiation problems of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant on 23 March 2011.
* The Croatian government donated 500,000 as financial aid and offered medical capacities and hospitality for injured in the disaster. On March 18, the Croatian Red Cross transferred 520,000 to the Japanese Red Cross Society. From March 12, more than 700,000 have been raised, of which 630,000 by public and private donations and more than 65,000 by telephone calls made by Croatian citizens. The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service put itself at service if necessary, as well as the National Protection and Rescue Directorate.
* offered to send a hundred men to remove the debris.
* The Estonian government donated 200,000.
* sent rescue teams consisting of 134 members. The French nuclear accident response organization Groupe INTRA has shipped some of its radiation-hardened mobile robot equipment to Japan to help with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. 130 tonnes of equipment has been shipped to Japan.
* donated US$1 million via the Red Cross to relief efforts in Japan.
* sent search and rescue specialists from the Technisches Hilfswerk. Furthermore, the German Aerospace Center provided TerraSAR-X- and RapidEye-satellite imagery of the affected area.
*: According to the MTI, the Hungarian National Disaster Management sent a rescue team to the area, consisting of eight technical rescue team members and a specialist officer. The team travelled to the disaster site on March 12.
* sent woolen clothing and blankets, with additional plans to send 22 metric tons of woolen blanket
Team of NDRF was deployed from 27/03/2011 to 07/04/2011. Team managed to extricate 07 bodies from the rubble more than two weeks after the disaster struck the area. The team recovered and handed over cash worth fifty million yen to the authorities apart from the other valuables
* sent rescue workers, medical assistance and supplies. Indonesia's government also donated US$2 million.
* shipped 50,000 cans of tuna and hot food distributed to 500 people in Japan. Four physicians and first responders were also dispatched to Japan from the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

* sent members of the humanitarian aid organizations IsraAID and ZAKA, which consist of first responders, search and rescue specialists, logistical, emergency medical personnel and water specialists to the devastated regions of Japan. Israel also established a field hospital near Minamisanriku, 290 miles north of Tokyo. An initial team of five set up the surgery in preparation for a larger team once needs are assessed. Israel also provided aid including mattresses, blankets, coats, gloves and chemical toilets for those left homeless by the disaster. On March 27, a 53-member delegation of medical personnel from the Home Front Command