2016 / LA County Supervisors commend memorial project “Love to Nippon” of Tohoku 2011 disaster, Mar. 22
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, center, introduced the member of the 2011 Tohoku disaster memorial project “Love to Nippon” at the County Meeting Hall on March 22, 2016. (Courtesy of the County of Los Angeles)
Video of Masako Unoura-Tanaka and Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe at the LA County Supervisor Meeting Hall on March 22: https://youtu.be/MJAVNb0iNZA
Image of the Los Angeles County Commendation
Initiated by Iwate prefecture native and 2011 tsunami survivor Masako Unoura-Tanaka in 2012, the memorial project “Love to Nippon” of the Tohoku 2011 disaster marked the fifth anniversary in March 2016.
After a series of the memorial events organized and supported by the project from March 6 through March 11, the Supervisors of Los Angeles County awarded a commendation to the members of “Love to Nippon” at the Los Angeles County Supervisor Meeting Hall on March 22.
The commendation to “Love to Nippon” project was initiated by the fourth district Supervisor Don Knabe, and twelve members of the project were invited to the meeting hall on March 22 to observe the ceremony.
As a kick-off event, the fifth anniversary of “Love to Nippon,” was held on Sunday, March 6 afternoon at a plaza and an auditorium of the Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles with attendances of 500 people.
The March 6 memorial event consisted of disaster preparedness exhibits, interfaith services for the victims of the 2011 disaster, musical tributes, testimonies, and a keynote speech by Mr. Norman Mineta.
Video of Mr. Norman Mineta speech: https://youtu.be/DOXJ4EIdxt8
A screening of film “Joy of Man’s Desiring” about Japanese earthquake orphans was held on Tuesday, March 8 at the Nibei Foundation in West Los Angeles.
At 9:46 pm on March 10 in Los Angeles time, the candlelight event on a beach near Santa Monica Pier was coincided with the Japan time of March 11 at 2:46 pm when the biggest earthquake hit the Eastern Japan in 2011.
On March 11 in Los Angeles time, the Japanese American Cultural Center’s sponsor programs included a premiere of documentary “Kyo/Today/今日” about the 2011 Tohoku disaster survivors, musical tribute by pianist Masayuki Hirahara and flutist Nori Tani, Buddhist service, and a testimony by Masako Unoura-Tanaka at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo.
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Masako Unoura-Tanaka was also commended by the Japanese Consul General of Los Angeles in May 2014. Video of the 2014 commendation ceremony: https://youtu.be/9bNwXCiZnqQ
