–Translated by Ben Mirin, CIR, and Emi Kimura, Assistant CIR–
March 17th, 2011
Nanae Town Office
Nanae-cho, Kameda-gun
Hokkaido, Japan 041-1192
Board of Selectmen’s Office
Concord, Massachusetts 01742
Dear Chairman Wieand and Friends in Concord,
We deeply thank you for your expressed concerns and warm messages following the earthquake. We are glad to inform you that Nanae did not sustain any damage. However, the Tohoku (northeastern) and Kanto (eastern) areas of Japan are suffering from this disaster. The earthquake and the tsunami caused massive damage to their towns and many people have died or gone missing.
This was the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since the government started keeping records. Not only did it leave mortal damage and scars, but it also made many people lose their homes and evacuate to shelters. There are no words to express how these people are feeling now or how hard their lives have become.
We are grateful to the American government for sending teams to Japan so quickly. We thank all of our friends in Concord and the American nation for their support.
Right now our government is working with full force for a fast recovery. The Town of Nanae is going to contribute as much as we can in this regard.
Sincerely,
Yasukazu Nakamiya
Mayor of Nanae