[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 90 (Monday, May 24, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S3368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1956. Mr. HAGERTY (for himself and Mr. Coons) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1502 proposed by Mr. 
Schumer to the bill S. 1260, to establish a new Directorate for 
Technology and Innovation in the National Science Foundation, to 
establish a regional technology hub program, to require a strategy and 
report on economic security, science, research, innovation, 
manufacturing, and job creation, to establish a critical supply chain 
resiliency program, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on 
the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place in division C, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. __. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                   MARCH 11, 2011, EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN 
                   JAPAN.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, an earthquake initially 
     reported as measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, the strongest 
     recorded in more than 100 years in Japan, occurred near the 
     Tohoku region of Northeast Japan, 81 miles off the coast from 
     Sendai City.
       (2) Intense shaking could be felt from Tokyo to Kamaishi, 
     an arc of roughly 360 miles.
       (3) The earthquake generated a massive tsunami that caused 
     widespread damage to a swath of the northeast Japanese 
     coastline and traveled across the Pacific Ocean, causing 
     damage to coastal communities as far away as the States of 
     Hawaii, Oregon, and California.
       (4) Authorities in Japan confirm at least 15,899 deaths 
     from the earthquake and resulting tsunami.
       (5) Within minutes of the earthquake, the National Oceanic 
     and Atmospheric Administration alerted emergency workers in 
     the States of Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, and 
     Alaska that a potentially catastrophic tsunami was heading 
     toward those States and mobilized the Tsunami Warning System 
     in the Pacific.
       (6) The earthquake forced the emergency shutdown of 4 
     nuclear power facilities in Japan, representing a significant 
     loss of electric generation capacity for Japan and 
     necessitating rolling blackouts in portions of Tokyo.
       (7) The earthquake and the resulting tsunami severely 
     damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, 
     precipitating a loss of power for cooling systems at that 
     facility and necessitating emergency measures to prevent 
     serious radiation leakages.
       (8) International response to the disaster was swift, with 
     search and rescue teams arriving from the United States, the 
     United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France, and China, 
     among other countries.
       (9) The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and its support 
     vessels were deployed to the earthquake region to participate 
     in search and rescue and relief operations.
       (10) Elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), 
     a United States Agency for International Development Disaster 
     Assistance Response Team (DART), and other United States 
     military and civilian personnel were deployed to Japan to 
     render aid and help coordinate United States relief efforts.
       (11) The United States-Japan alliance is based upon shared 
     values, democratic ideals, free markets, and a mutual respect 
     for human rights, individual liberties, and the rule of law, 
     and is central to the security and prosperity of the entire 
     Indo-Pacific region.
       (12) The Self-Defense Forces of Japan have contributed 
     broadly to global security missions, including relief 
     operations following the tsunami in Indonesia in 2005, 
     reconstruction in Iraq from 2004 to 2006, and relief 
     assistance following the earthquake in Haiti in 2010.
       (13) Japan is among the most generous donor nations, 
     providing billions of dollars of foreign assistance, 
     including disaster relief, annually to developing countries.
       (14) Since 2011, Japan has committed tremendous resources 
     and effort to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear 
     power station by taking measures on contaminated water and 
     extracting fuel.
       (15) Since 2011, Japan has committed tremendous resources 
     and effort to restore the environment in Fukushima 
     Prefecture, in collaboration with the International Atomic 
     Energy Agency, to ensure that citizens can live with peace of 
     mind with safe water and food.
       (16) Ten years after the earthquake and resulting tsunami, 
     Japan is seeking to host a successful Olympics in Tokyo where 
     the best athletes from across the world can showcase their 
     talents amidst the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     Congress--
       (1) mourns the loss of life resulting from the earthquake 
     and tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011;
       (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the families of 
     the victims of the tragedy;
       (3) expresses its sympathies to the survivors who are still 
     suffering in the aftermath of the natural disaster;
       (4) commends the Government of Japan for its courageous and 
     professional response to the natural disaster; and
       (5) supports the efforts already underway by the United 
     States Government, relief agencies, and private citizens to 
     assist the Government and people of Japan with the 
     revitalization efforts in Fukushima Prefecture.
                                 ______