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Director Masahiro Kuroda lives in the
city of Hachinohe, which is located just north of Sendai (the center of
major destruction). We received confirmation yesterday from Dir.
Kuroda that he and his family are fine, and he is back to work providing
medical care to those in greatest need.
Trustee Kaz Ozawa lives in Yokosuka, an
area south of Tokyo, and he is well and integrally involved in the recovery
efforts of the Japanese government.
YOUTH EXCHANGE
At the time of the incident, there were approximately 150
Youth Exchange students in Japan. Numbers are approximate, as we do not
have complete reporting from Japanese districts on current exchanges.
Yoshihiro Sekiba, the Youth Exchange Committee member from
Japan, has confirmed that all students in affected areas survived the
earthquake and tsunami. Students have been evacuated from the areas with
potential nuclear radiation risks, with the exception of three who will be
driven to a train station at 7:00 AM local time today, where they will then
travel by train to the airport for flights home.
In affected districts where chairs could not be reached,
Rotarian Sekiba was able to locate all of the students through other
district leaders and host club contacts.
The District 2530 Youth Exchange Chair is missing.
All students have the option of going home, or remaining in
Japan, based on the preference of the students and their parents. For
students who were living in the affected areas and wish to continue their
exchange year, Japanese Rotarians will attempt to find other placements for
them.
Twenty students have already elected to return home. We
anticipate that this number will increase, as districts report their early
returns to RI.
The Youth Exchange Committee, and leaders of regional Youth
Exchange groups, have been actively involved in working to get students out
of the country and assist with communications.
Rotary Peace
Centers
The Rotary Peace Center at International
Christian University in Tokyo is currently on mid-semester break and
classes are not scheduled to resume until 9 April 2011.
There are currently 8 peace fellows out
of the country on break. Only one of these peace fellows is planning
to return to Japan in time for the resumption of the semester.
There are currently 10 peace fellows
residing in dormitories on the ICU campus. They are all accounted for
and fine. 3 of these peace fellows have arranged travel to depart
Japan within the week, and we continue to communicate with the other 7 regarding
their plans.
Ambassadorial
Scholarships
There are currently 4 scholars in Tokyo
and 1 scholar in Kyoto. They are currently deciding if they wish to
depart Japan and return home or change their country of study.
Group Study
Exchange Teams
There is 1 GSE team currently in Japan,
in District 2680 - Hyogo. All of the team's members are accounted for
and fine. The team is scheduled to depart Japan on 22 March 2011.
There are 4 GSE teams scheduled to travel
to Japan between now and the end of April 2011, with two of the teams to be
hosted by districts impacted significantly by the tsunami (District 2520 -
Iwate and Miyagi, and District 2820 - Ibaraki). All of them have
deferred their travel to Japan.
JAPANESE ROTARIANS
Unfortunately, it may be some time before
we receive full information on all Rotarians and their families in affected
areas. Further information will be forthcoming when available.
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