[3.11 Earthquake: Rebuilding] “I saw the best of humanity in Tohoku” – former US envoy John Ross

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This article is part of a series of articles marking the tenth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. What happened on the fateful March 11, 2011? What has happened since then? What does the future hold? Here we share people’s thoughts from different walks of life about this unforgettable tragedy.

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Entrepreneur and venture capitalist John Ross was the US ambassador to Japan from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. As ambassador, Ross helped lead the response to the March 11, 2011 disaster in Japan’s Tohoku region, a response that would develop into Operation Tomodachi.

On February 11, 2021, Mayu Uetsuka of the Sankei Shimbun was able to interview Ross about his memories of the 2011 disaster and his hopes for a way forward in Japan-US relations.

Here are an excerpt.

March 11th this year marks the ten years since the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear “triple disaster” in Northeast Tohoku, Japan. What did you experience that day and after?

The senior staff and I were in the embassy building, in my office. We have finished our weekly meeting and were preparing for the next week when the earthquake struck. It had an incredible intensity.

Our first reaction was to evacuate the embassy building. We went up the stairs to the embassy parking lot. We already knew it was a massive earthquake before we left the building, because by the end of the first earthquake wave, we thought our building was on the verge of collapsing.

With that said, when we got outside we’re really starting to get details about how important that is. The disaster began with the earthquake, then we began to learn about the tsunami, then the nuclear crisis that began to unfold.

As the US ambassador to Japan, I had the authority to declare a state of emergency, and free up resources to help our Japanese partners address the crisis. We also immediately contacted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama to inform them of what is happening in real time. We all issued statements at various times, saying that we will be there for the Japanese in times of crisis.

The other person I immediately spoke to from the parking lot was the commander of US forces in Japan, Lt. Gen. Burton M. Field. The embassy and our military have started to coordinate, not just on a daily basis, but really on a minute by minute basis.

Operation Tomodachi – U.S. diplomats and military response to Japan’s aid – began from the U.S. Embassy parking lot that day?

I think the name “Tomodachi” came later. But, you know, our alliance, our strategic and military alliance with Japan, was and still is deep and broad. Our army was ready to act on a humanitarian basis immediately. Of course, our military was coordinating at the same time with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF).

Fukushima disaster site When did you first visit the Sendai area after the earthquake?

In the early days after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, our hands were full trying to make sure all Americans were safe, to help the Japanese in the search and rescue mission, and then to help as Japan began to tackle the nuclear crisis. It was a multifaceted crisis that was unique, I would say, in human history, and certainly the largest crisis Japan has faced since the end of World War II.

We determined that the best time to travel to the Tohoku region is 12 days from the start of the crisis. I traveled with the head of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Robert F. Willard. We might have gone back dozens of times after that.

What are some of the most memorable things you have seen on your visits to Tohoku?

When we first arrived, we took a helicopter tour of Sendai and the entire Tohoku region, up and down the coast. The level of devastation was somehow surreal. It looked like something out of a horror movie. I’ve seen things I’ve never seen before in my life, and I hope I never see them again.

The people I met – not just the leaders, but the people of Sendai and the wider Tohoku region – were amazing. Strength, resilience, and determination just to make their way through an incredibly tragic event, an unprecedented crisis, not just with the destruction of property, but with the loss of lives – you can’t help but move as a human being emotionally to experience it.

I remember entering the evacuation center, and I think it was an Ishinomaki. A little kid saw me, maybe he was around 10 or 12 years old, and he saw that I was a little shaken than I saw. This little boy, who has clearly gone through a lot in his life, who has been living in this evacuation center, came and hugged me. That was an incredibly emotional moment for me.

I also remember the mayor of Rikuzentakata, Futushi Tuba, who lost his wife in the tsunami, but stayed in town hall, even though he had two young sons at home. He kept running his way through the crisis because he needed to be there for the sake of his constituents.

Remember 3.11 what feedback you received about Operation Tomodachi? What is your rating?

My rating: It was an incredible success story. I think it was one of the shining moments for the Japanese Defense Forces, as it showed the strength and importance of the JSDF, not only in the defense of Japan, but in the face of a humanitarian crisis.

Operation Tomodachi was an example of the strength of the Japan-US alliance, after years and years of training together, coordinating together, and strengthening the alliance. While this alliance is necessary to maintain peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region, Operation Tomodachi was an example of escalation and demonstrations of how important the alliance is on a humanitarian basis.

Regarding people’s reaction to it, to this very day, I have people come to me and thank me for Operation Tomodachi, for what the military and civilian side did during that amazing crisis.

I think it’s a great example of what two close friend states, allies with a deep reservoir of respect, readiness and training with each other, can do when they face not only a military crisis, but in this case a humanitarian crisis.

When was the last time you visited the Tohoku region? Have you communicated with people in Tohoku since you left?

I have been in contact with different people, mostly young people, from the Tohoku region who participated in the Tomodachi initiative, which we started a few months after the earthquake. The mayor’s son Tuba participated in the programs, and he reached out to me. I stay in touch with the participants as much as I can.

Interestingly, Rikuzentakata has a sister city relationship with Crescent City, Nevada. Mayor Tuba traveled there and also came to my office.

Do you have any special message for the Tohoku people?

My heart sank when I saw another earthquake in Fukushima last week (Feb.13). I can only imagine what people were going through in their minds 10 years into a terrible crisis they went through.

Possessions can be destroyed, but the human soul cannot be destroyed. Ten years ago, I saw the best of humanity in the Tohoku region and the people there. I just want the Tohoku people to know how much I admire them, love them. I hope the United States has been and will remain with them, in fact and in spirit.

How do you see the relationship between Japan and the United States since the earthquake? What is your hope for the future of that relationship?

What I experienced as Ambassador to Japan is that we have a deep, respectful, and strong relationship that has developed over time, since World War II, when we were sworn enemies. I think the popular ties between Japan and the United States show the strength of the relationship in particular.

At the same time, we can never take this relationship for granted. We’ve had a leadership crisis in our country here for the past four years. We hope that will be abandoned now, with a new leadership that deeply values ​​the importance of Japan, the alliance, and the relationship between our two countries.

I am very optimistic that we will continue to build, deepen and strengthen the alliance. We have demonstrated over the past several decades that it is not only imperative to maintain peace and stability in that region of the world, but that it is critical from a humanitarian point of view as well.

Japan and the United States are the two leading democracies in Asia, and are truly two of the leading democracies in the world. We need to keep building to strengthen and work together. It is imperative that our two countries continue to do everything in their power to deepen the relationship, and work together to address the enormous challenges facing the world today.

(Read the story of the interview in Japanese at this link.)

Interviewed by: Mayo Oitsuka

Other stories in this series:

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