Japan: TBS launches TSUNAGU-Share to Connect

Eleven years ago, on March 11, 2011, 14:46 OST, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the Tohoku region of Japan, followed by a massive tsunami. Later named the "Great EastJapan Earthquake", or "3.11" for short, it was the largest earthquake in Japan's recorded history, and the fourth largest ever in the world. As of 2022, 18,423 people have been reported dead or missing by Japanese authorities, and the total damage is estimated at roughly USD 235 billion. Images ofthe tsunami devastating Tohoku's coastal cities and causing a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station traveled to all corners ofthe globe, shocking the world.

 

To mark the 11th anniversary TBS Television is launching in Japan a 9-day media campaign, starting March 5th, 2022. The project TSUNAGU - Share to Connect will feature special programs aired on terrestrial TV in Japan, with portions made available later to worldwide audiences vía the project's official website. 

 

The series will highlight two key themes: 1) fresh challenges being taken on by young people in the disaster-affected areas, and 2) the latest efforts on the frontlines of disaster mitigation efforts to protect lives from future earthquakes and tsunamis. For the first theme, TBS cameras will follow the activities of young people, such as volunteer divers who've shifted their efforts from debris removal to protecting the environment; an engineer who, after experiencing the disaster himself, developed an advanced disaster support app; and young women who moved, bringing their dreams with them, to an area heavily affected by the disaster, Kesennuma. In Japan's aging society, young people are taking the lead in coming up with ideas to revitalize towns based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

 

For the second theme, the program will focus on the use ofthe advanced disaster support technologies to analyze and examine evacuation behavior at the time ofthe 3.11 disaster from the perspective of the latest research. In conjunction with the broadcasts, TBS will be launching a worldwide online campaign using the hashtag #ShareStories311. 

 

Project producer Yosuke Yamaoka: 'The goal is to share memories and our lessons learnt, with people outside of Japan, especially around the vulnerable Pacific Rim, in hopes we can prepare together for disasters in the future. Through his interviews in the disaster-affected areas, Yamaoka carne to the realization that, while we can't prevent disasters from happening, by sharing our memories and leaming from them, we can help reduce the damage in the future'.

 

The underwater volcanic explosion off the coast of Tonga was a recent reminder that earthquakes and tsunamis are nota problem unique to Japan, but a serious problem shared by many countries around the Pacific Rim. TES has been covering the Great East Japan Earthquake for more than 10 years. Through our reporting activities, we realized that while the occurrence of disasters cannot be prevented, we can help to reduce damage caused by future disasters by sharing our memories and lessons. Through social networking campaigns, people can be connected across generations and borders, reaching out to help each other.