Students from 2011 Tsunami-Hit Sendai Speak at U.N. Headquarters

New York, Nov. 5 (Jiji Press)–High school students from Sendai, a northeastern Japan city hit by a massive tsunami in 2011, emphasized the importance of passing on disaster lessons to future generations and the significance of disaster prevention education at a meeting at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday. “We are deeply grateful to peoples from around the world who supported us during the disaster,” Ruka Ogura, 18, a student from Sendai Daiichi High School, said in a speech at the meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of World Tsunami Awareness Day. “Sendai City now has a responsibility to pass the lessons and experiences,” said Ogura, who will serve as chairperson at the High School Students Summit on “World Tsunami Awareness Day” in Sendai on Nov. 27-28, a gathering that will bring together high school students from around the globe. After Wednesday’s meeting, Mitsuki Komatsu, a 17-year-old student from Sendai Daisan High School, said, “I once again felt the importance of sharing disaster prevention information from people who have experienced disasters.” Ogura said, “I want to pass on the experience of my parents’ generation to the next generation.” On March 11, 2011, Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami that struck other parts of the Tohoku northeastern Japan region hard as well. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]