Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association relief news update from Japan.
According to Japan’s environment ministry,the deadly March 11 earthquake and tsunami left behind nearly 25 million tons of collapsed building debris, not including vehicles and vessels that were swept away.

With heavy equipment being used for its removal, crews must take care to watch for victims' remains that might still be discovered amid the vast swathes of rubble. As of Wednesday, April 6, the official death toll was more than 12,400, with over 15,000 still missing and many more whose status may never be able to be officially reported. The tsunami also left toxic chemicals, industrial waste, oil, and heavy metals that forces the wearing of face masks and has rendered soil unusable for another five to 10 years.

In Japan’s food basket, Sendai prefecture, 10,000 hectares of farmland have been devastated. Since the initial disaster, Supreme Master Ching Hai has donated US$80,000 in aid. Combined with donations from our worldwide Association members, the contributions total over US$172,000. With all her love and sorrowful prayers, Supreme Master Ching Hai asked that our Association members, including doctors and nurses, please go help the most vulnerable, particularly the elderly and young together, saying that extra expenses would be reimbursed.

She also requested that they deliver urgent items such as medicine, as well as copies of her book, “The Dogs in My Life,” to comfort the people's hearts. Our Association’s relief teams from Japan, Formosa (Taiwan), and South Korea have been helping in the disaster zones.

In accordance with Supreme Master Ching Hai’s caring request for updates, the following is a report by our Association’s relief team from Gunma Center, Japan.


VOICE: We thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for permitting us to share this information with our viewers, as well as our Association’s Foreign Group for providing this report.

Meanwhile at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, although a leak that had been seeping highly irradiated water into the sea was stopped on Wednesday, workers are still trying to restore cooling pumps in four of the facility’s six reactors.

However, as the water is supplied to cool the reactors, it becomes contaminated from the localized radiation and must be stored in limited space.

This has already forced the operator Tokyo Electric Company (TEPCO) to dump 11,500 tons of radioactive water into the sea.

TEPCO also announced that engineers were injecting nitrogen gas into reactor No. 1 to prevent a possible buildup and explosion of hydrogen gas, and that a similar plan was being consideredfor other reactors.

Amidst radiation fears, India announced on Tuesday a three-month ban on imports of processed foods, fruits, and vegetables from everywhere in Japan.

Meanwhile, South Korea added Chiba to its list of Japanese prefectures from which food imports are banned. Earlier on Monday, Singapore had extended its suspension on Japanese food imports from Hyogo Prefecture.

Following announced errors in data reporting, TEPCO had said Monday that it is increasing its team for monitoring radiation levels to ensure accuracy. The company has also begun paying condolence money to local governments for people evacuated from around the plant.

Our thankfulness, Japanese and international governments, experts, personnel, as well as all plant workers, for your ongoing endeavors to stabilize the post-disaster situation. We are also grateful for Supreme Master Ching Hai’s heartfelt support and for the selfless assistance of our Association’s relief team.

May Heaven continue to bless Japan as humanity joins in alleviating such devastations through the adoption of kinder, eco-stabilizing lifestyles.