[TOKYO, JAPAN, 28 February 2012]
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On 11 March 2011 Japan was hit by an unprecedented disaster that we now know as the Great East Japan Earthquake. Since then the Japan Committee for UNICEF (JCU) has received generous donations from across Japan and overseas in support of children affected by the disaster. The UNICEF Headquarters in New York even announced that it would implement its first assistance campaign for Japan in over 50 years via JCU.
In September 2011, one year after the catastrophe, a photo exhibition was held at the Tokyo International Forum in Yurakucho to present to the public a total of 126 photographs of the misery created by the disaster, the situation faced by the children, and the assistance activities still being carried out today. This exhibition was realized through the cooperation of Japanese newspaper and wire services as well as numerous distinguished photographers.
More than 500,000 visitors came to see these photos during the roughly one-week exhibition. The exhibition was then held in Saitama and Kanagawa Prefectures, and is now scheduled to move to several locations throughout Japan, including Iwate Prefecture.
In order to present our gratitude to the international community for its generous assistance, this photo exhibition will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5 March until 30 March in parallel with the domestic event. On the evening of the opening day, Monday, 5 March, an opening ceremony will be held with the attendance of children from the United Nations International School, Japanese Ambassadors to the United Nations and others.
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| In towns where gasoline shortages rendered cars useless, people walked long distances in search of food and water. Taken on 17 March 2011 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture by Kazuma Momoi. |
Dr. Osamu Kunii (right), who had traveled to Japan from Somalia to provide assistance, tells a moving story about his experience in the Tohoku region. “I handed a stuffed animal to a child and watched her face just light up. It almost made me cry.” Taken on 23 March 2011 at Onagawa Daini Primary School by Kenichi Shindo. |
A moving tanabata holiday float parading through the ruins of the disaster-stricken district of Omachi in Rikuzentakata City. This festival was held to symbolize the reconstruction of Rikuzentakata City and pay remembrance to residents that died in the tsunami. The festival was the first step towards reconstruction and carried tremendous meaning for local residents. Taken on 6 August 2011 by Satoshi Ueda. |
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| Japan Self-Defense Force personnel looking for dead bodies as they investigate a car destroyed in the tsunami and fire. Taken on 26 March 2011 in Kadonowakicho, Ishinomaki City by Kuni Takahashi. |
More than three months after the radiation screenings, it was found that 45% of the approximately 1,000 children living around the nuclear power station in Fukushima Prefecture suffered radiation exposure of the thyroid. Taken on 30 March 2011 in Iitate Village, Fukushima Prefecture by Masaya Noda. |
| Title | Children and the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami – UNICEF at work |
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| Venue |  © Japan Committee for UNICEF/ k.Shindo |
| Dates | Monday, 5 March 2012 – Friday, 30 March 2012 (In accordance with the hours of the UN Visitors Center) |
| Admission | Free |
| Host | Japan Committee for UNICEF |
| Support | UNICEF, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations |
| Cooperation | The Japan Newspaper Museum, Tokyo Press Photographers Association, Tohoku Press Photographers Association |
| Sponsored | NIKON Corporation, CANON Inc., Fujifilm Corporation, Tamron Co., Ltd. |
| Logistics | Shashin Kosha Co., Ltd., Japan Airlines |
| contributors | Large-size photographs on exhibit (approx. 160) (1) Pictures from newspaper publishing companies and news service agencies belonging to The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association (25): Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Kyodo News, Jiji Press, Sankei Shimbun, Tokyo Shimbun, Chunichi Shimbun, Iwate Nippo, Iwate Nichinichi, Kahoku Shimpo, Fukushima Minpo, Fukushima Minyu Shimbun, To-o Nippo Press, Daily Tohoku Shimbun, Hokuu Shimpo, Akita Sakigake Shimpo, Yamagata Shimbun, Niigata Nippo, Ibaraki Shimbun, Shizuoka Shimbun, Iwaki Minpo, Joyo Shimbun, Chiba Nippo, and Saitama Shimbun (random order) (2) Freelance photographers of the Japan Professional Photographers Society, Japan Advertising Photographers’ Association, etc. (23): Naomi Toyoda, Masaya Noda, Kuninori Takahashi, Satoshi Ueda, Takeyoshi Tanuma, Masaaki Nishimiya, Tuneo Enari, Hironobu Nozawa, Keisuke Kumagiri, Kazuyoshi Nomachi, Kazuma Momoi, Yojiro Adachi, Yasuaki Kagii, Takashi Hanai, Yasuo Kubo, Eiko Hosoe, Takashi Morizumi, Shisei Kuwabara, Ko Sasaki, Q.Sakamaki, Mariko Miura, Hikaru Yukikuni, Kenichi Shindo (honorifics omitted; random order) (3) UNICEF assistance activity records (Japan Committee for UNICEF) Kenichi Shindo (Photo journalist and former Photo Editor for Kyodo News) |
| Inquiries | Information and Public Affairs Division Japan Committee for UNICEF Phone: 03-5789-2016 Fax: 03-5789-2036 E-mail:jcuinfo@unicef.or.jp |