Weeks after suffering the worst natural disaster in its history, Japan continues to confront the aftermath of its recent earthquake and tsunami, as more news emerges about the ongoing nuclear disaster. On Friday, students and faculty gathered in Rockefeller 300 for a "teach-in" about Japan's struggles, where panelists considered the catastrophe from a range of personal and academic perspectives.
The newly-formed Vassar Japan Relief group, founded on March 20 by a group of students and faculty with personal ties to Japan, coordinated the event. In less than a week of existence, the group raised nearly $1,000 from student donations, and collected even more donations at the entrance to the teach-in. The group's fund-raising efforts will culminate in a benefit event on April 15. Moderator Jessica Peng '11 hoped the event would spread word of the group's mission and help Vassar "learn more about the mechanics and magnitude of the crisis." The departments of Asian Studies, Earth Science and Geography, and International Studies sponsored the teach-in with assistance from the Office of Campus Activities.
The event began with members of the group reading brief letters from former members of the Vassar community who currently live in Japan, including transfer students and language fellows from the 2009-2010 school year. While none of the authors lived in the provinces most directly affected by the disaster, their words made clear the tragedy's consequences for the entire nation. One letter described a "constant fear of radiation," while another student illustrated the rising price of bottled water, explaining there is literally "no way for me to afford to buy a new bottle for every day of the next week."
Next, Associate Professor of Earth Science Brian McAdoo, an expert in natural disasters who traveled to Indonesia in the wake of the 2004 tsunami there, described the causes of the disaster and the preparations the Japanese had taken in advance to mitigate damage. Japan has long sought to minimize its vulnerability to earthquakes and tsunamis, and these efforts paid great dividends. "I think we're going to see this as a success; it could have been much worse."
Associate Professor of Chinese and Japanese Hiromi Tsuchiya Dollase agreed that the Japanese incorporated safety measures into their culture long ago to guard against the dangers of natural forces. She described a pervasive awareness of surrounding shelters that simply has no equivalent in American culture. "If you were in Poughkeepsie, where would you go [in the case of a natural disaster]?" she asked the audience. "In Japan, anyone on the street could probably tell you where the closest shelter is."
Senior Lecturer in Science, Technology and Society James F. Challey offered a brief introduction to the man-made disaster now threatening Japan: the disruption of nuclear reactors. "Engineering disasters almost always have to do with improbable events or events that were thought to be improbable," he said. Even in a nation well aware of the danger of earthquakes, the effects of an approximately nine-magnitude quake caused a malfunction no one foresaw. "There's a lot we just don't know," Challey readily admitted. He also took time to credit the plant workers who braved death to attempt repairs, calling them "truly heroic."
The presentation also offered student perspectives, first from Hiroe Nakada '13. Nakada was visiting her home in Tokyo for Spring Break when the quake hit, and she felt her house tremble and then continue to shake for more than a minute. "We got under the table; I was terrified," she said. She and her mother managed to contact her father, whose train home from work had been delayed. Her sister had to reach her through Facebook to let her know that she was fine because the volume of callers trying to reach loved ones disrupted cell-phone service. "Facebook and Twitter were helpful for people trying to find each other," she said.
Toru Momii '11 was not home in Japan during the disaster, but offered his own experience of an earthquake when he was just five-years-old. That quake affected the port city of Kobe, directly next to his childhood home. "You hear the wood of the building creaking," he said. "It's the creepiest thing you will ever hear." From this past, he then turned to his country's future.
"There's a big debate in Japan about whether to return to normal life," he said. "We want to give the appropriate amount of respect, but critics say the mourning may damage the economy."
Associate Professor of Economics Robert Rebelein touched on a similar subject. He mentioned the economic stasis that affected Japan in the 1990s after the burst of the housing bubble, explaining that Japan could ill-afford another such stretch. "Japan's national debt is huge," he said. "Their national debt is 225 percent of their GDP." This debt is unlikely to be repaid soon, especially because, according to Rebelein, "clean-up of the affected areas is estimated to cost 300 billion dollars."
This teach-in is the second Vassar has seen this semester. The first, held on Feb. 11, was on events in Egypt.
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