Marine Corps Installations Pacific, III Marine Expeditionary Force and Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji staff met with Shizuoka Prefecture leadership to discuss natural disaster damage mitigation and better cooperation between the Marine Corps and the prefecture Nov. 17 at the Shizuoka Prefecture government building in Shizuoka.
The meeting was a first step in strengthening the relationship between the Marine Corps and the Shizuoka Prefectural Government, said Yoichiro Iwase, lieutenant governor of the prefecture, speaking through an interpreter as he welcomed the Marines to the prefecture.
“Shizuoka Prefecture is a strong proponent for strengthening the relationship with the U.S. military,” Iwase said.
“As a Japanese citizen, I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to the U.S. Marines and the U.S. military for their rescue and relief efforts in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake,” Iwase added, referring to the U.S. military’s efforts during Operation Tomodachi following the earthquake and tsunami that struck mainland Japan in March.
As part of the visit, the Marines toured the Shizuoka Prefecture Crisis Management Center adjacent to the Shizuoka Prefectural Government building and attended a brief about Shizuoka Prefecture’s emergency management efforts to prepare for future earthquakes.
“I was very impressed,” said Col. J. D. Covington, assistant chief of staff for operations and planning, MCIPAC. “We learned a great deal on this visit.”
Because of the prefecture’s location, experts have theorized that the area is due for another large earthquake in the near future, explained Takahiro Odaira, division director for the Emergency Countermeasure Division, Emergency Management Department, Shizuoka Prefecture, during the brief.
Japan lies in the Pacific Ocean above an area where several faults and four tectonic plates intersect: the Eurasian plate, the North American plate, the Pacific plate and the Philippine Sea plate. The Philippine Sea plate has been shifting towards the Eurasian plate at a rate of several centimeters a year creating great strain as it drags the Eurasian plate down.
Experts theorize that an earthquake, already named the Tokai Earthquake, will result once the strain has reached a limit and the Eurasian plate springs upward, explained Odaira. The earthquake would result in a tsunami, which would then reach the prefecture’s shores within five minutes, he said.
This theory was first proposed in 1976, and the prefecture has been preparing since then, he said.
Shizoka prefecture, which has a population of 3.8 million, is the tenth most populated prefecture in Japan. A natural disaster of this magnitude striking Shizuoka Prefecture would have significant repercussions on Japan’s economy and social system, said Dr. Robert D. Eldridge, deputy assistant chief of staff, government and external affairs, MCIPAC, organizer of the group meeting with prefecture leaders.
“I believe that Shizuoka Prefecture is very advanced in the area of disaster (damage mitigation),” said Masayuki Tsuchiya, bureau director, Governor’s Strategic Bureau, Shizuoka Prefectural Government, speaking through an interpreter.
For example, 100 percent of the elementary, middle and high schools in Shizuoka Prefecture have been earthquake reinforced, and the general awareness about the danger of a possible earthquake and resulting tsunami is very high among the prefecture’s citizens, he said.
But, the March natural disaster and aftermath highlighted the need for a stronger relationship with the U.S. and a better understanding of the disaster-relief capabilities the U.S. military could provide, he said.
“We need to establish a system for collaboration on a consistent basis. This is an important issue for Shizuoka Prefecture,” Iwase said.
“Drawing from the lessons learned from the March 11 earthquake, we feel we need to work more in the area of cooperation with the (Japan Self-Defense Force) and the U.S. military,” Tsuchiya said.
“We need to be more prepared for tsunamis,” Tsuchiya added.
Covington praised several of the life-saving initiatives spearheaded by the prefecture to protect its citizens. The three tiers aspect of preparation with responsibilities placed on individuals, community and government to ensure everyone’s safety was impressive, he said.
“We in the Marine Corps can learn a great deal from you from a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief aspect on disaster preparedness,” Covington said.
He looks forward to strengthening ties with Shizuoka Prefecture, especially as this prefecture hosts Camp Fuji, Covington added.
The proactive attitude and forward thinking of the prefectural leaders and their determination to ensure the safety of the prefecture’s citizens is what led to the meeting between Marine leaders and Shizuoka Prefectural Government leaders, said Eldridge.
“We know from the March 11 disaster, we must be willing to look to the U.S. for assistance in an earthquake such as that being predicted by experts,” explained Satoshi Kobayashi, director of the Emergency Management Department, Shizuoka Prefectural Government, speaking through an interpreter.
“One of the lessons learned during Operation Tomodachi was that the prefecture must be able to reach out to every resource including the U.S. military to ensure the safety of its citizens,” Kobayashi said.
Meeting face-to-face was important to ensure the continued development of cooperation between the prefecture and the Marines based in Japan, Eldridge said.
It’s important for the prefectural leadership to know the leaders of Camp Fuji and the leadership and staff of MCIPAC and III MEF, Eldridge said.
“In the end, it’s really the people-to-people interaction that’s most important,” he said. “It’s the people within organizations that make it possible for organizations to work well together with each other.”
“It’s a huge milestone that we’re located in Okinawa and yet our leadership and their leadership had the foresight to create this interaction,” Eldridge added. “This visit allowed local officials, no matter where in Japan, to know more about the Marine Corps. This is important since the Marines are friends and neighbors to all the communities in Japan.”
The next step will be for Shizuoka Prefectureal government officials to visit Camp Fuji or travel to Okinawa to meet with Marine leaders here, Eldridge said. This invitation has already informally been extended, and prefectural leaders said they plan to accept, he added.
From there, it would be great to create some kind of exchange program so their personnel could work with Marines for a short period of time and get a better understanding of the Corps’ capabilities, and Marines could go to the prefecture to better understand their capabilities, said Eldridge.