[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4175]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1210
          DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN NORTHERN JAPAN

  (Ms. HIRONO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I grew up in Fukushima, Japan, where 
earthquake preparedness is part of life, but nothing could have 
prepared any nation for the natural disasters that occurred on Friday.
  While my mother has successfully contacted our relatives in Japan, 
many families haven't been able to find or contact their loved ones. 
Thousands of victims are in shelters. Many are still missing. The death 
toll continues to rise.
  ``Tsunami'' is a Japanese word that the world understands. We have 
seen the 30-foot walls of water sweeping across farmlands, wiping out 
everything in its path.
  ``Gaman'' is a Japanese word that describes strength and endurance. 
Gaman will help the Japanese people through this tragedy, but they do 
not stand alone. People from all over the world have sent messages of 
support, and donations continue. In the midst of tragedy, common 
humanity transcends geopolitical boundaries.
  Hawaii's ties to Japan are deep. Hawaii's banks are donation dropoff 
points. The Hawaii blood bank is coordinating a national drive. 
Fukushima and Miyagi Kenjin Kai and the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of 
Commerce are among many helping.
  Minasan, doomo arigatou gozaimasu--everyone, thank you very much.

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