NPO - Woori Hakkyo

Students at the Korean Elementary and Middle Schools in Sendai, Fukushima and Mito cities.

Founded in 2008 as a Non-Profit organization, Woori Hakkyo has been supporting K-12 and college students of Korean descendants in Japan, including those attending the Ethnic Korean schools (a.k.a. Woori Hakkyo) and Japanese schools. Their regular programs and services include providing aid to Korean schools and offering scholarships to Korean students. Woori Hakkyo's work is critical to sustain the Korean education for Koreans in Japan, because the Korean schools are the only ethnic schools wholly eliminated from the list of ethnic schools (ranging from American, German, Chinese, French, etc.) receiving government assistance, on grounds that these schools threaten Japan's security by supporting the terrorism of North Korea. Two Korean schools are located in the disaster region, and Koriyama Korean school is located less than 40 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. These schools are providing rare, safe venues for ethnic Koreans often under severe attack under tense North Korea-Japan relations, to take shelter and take refuge as a community.

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  Zaitokukai (ultra nationalist Japanese group) verbal assault and property damage on one of the Korean schools in Kyoto on December 4, 2009

Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan (SMJ)

Foreign residents and their children who were influenced by the Tohoku (Northern Japan) earthquake. There are at least 80,000 foreign residents from China, Korea, the Philippines, and Brazil in Tohoku in the area.

SMJ exists to protect migrants' rights, support their empowerment, to create a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society in Japan. SMJ networks with NGOs and individuals advocating for migrants' rights in Japan and coordinates collaborations - "while sharing experiences and cooperating with one another." Network member organizations include those for and by the homeless, Nikkei Latin Americans, Korean migrants, South Asian technical workers, and Filipina and other women workers, as well as trade unions serving/led by both men and women, and totals more than 75 organizations nationwide. Numerous soup kitchens and more have been operating in the disaster region.

Kamagasaki Patrol no Kai

Urban Day Laborer and Dwellers in Osaka

The Kamagasaki Patrol no Kai describes their core approach to addressing the homelessness issue in the city known historically as the "homeless capital of Japan," inhabited by domestic and international migrants supporting the heavy industries in the region: "We aim to work with people who are forced to live on the streets by deconstructing the relationship between the "supporter" and the "supportee." Based on this principle, we call those living on the streets "comrades." Our daily activities cannot be carried out without the comrades as the core part. The supporters assist the comrades' activities behind the scenes."

Their activities include patrolling for the safety and well-being of the people living on the streets (violence/assaults on the homeless have been a persistent problem), convening and hosting meetings, cooperative cookouts/soup kitchens, and so on. (quoted from the website and translated by Eclipse Rising)

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  Conditions of Urban Lower-Class Laborers in Japan

Zainichi no Ianfu Saiban wo Sasaeru Kai

Song, Shindo

Shindo Song is the only woman who bravely stood up and sued the Japanese government for the seven year-long sexual enslavement by the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII. She has lived in Onagawa, Miyagi after the war, but has lost all her property and a place to live because of the earthquake. She is now 88 years old and has bad legs, so it is extremely hard for her to live in Tokyo, where she relocated after the earthquake.

Since its foundation in 1993, the Group to Support Zainichi Korean "Comfort Woman" Lawsuit has been supporting Ms. Song Shindo. The Group has actively promoted awareness-raising and public education about the issue, to hold the Japanese government accountable, and to provide ongoing support for Ms. Song Shindo.

Hotline "Chamae"

111,672 registered foreign residents in the cities and towns which will be applied to the Tohoku Pacific Disaster Relief Act (180,000 when including the surrounding area).

Unlike Japanese nationals who are registered under administration of the local governments, the foreign residents in Japan are under jurisdiction of police and immigration control by the Ministry of Justice. The number of victims disclosed is based on the Basic Resident Register (local resident registration), which does not include foreign residents. Therefore, the accurate number of non-Japanese victims is still unknown.

As of April 25, the number of the non-Japanese victims was approximately120, which was counted by the members of the Trans-Pacific Research and Action Institute for the hisabetsu-nikkei (TRAI). Especially for Fukushima where the nuclear power plants are located, the foreign residents have not received any support. Moreover, information for foreign residents in Fukushima has not yet been supplied at all, which has caused confusion and further damage.

Chamae started in 2004 with a critical analysis of colonialism, racism, gender, (dis)abilities, classism and heterosexism that intersect and further marginalize minority women in Japan. It specializes in providing support to the minority women who experience violence and sexual harassment on a daily basis with little assistance available to them by the Japanese government which does not provide culturally or linguistically appropriate services. Chamae is committed to working for social justice and empowerment of the women economically, politically and culturally. Due to rampant threats and hostilities by the ultra-right wing nationalist forces in Japan, the Group does not put up a website.

Chamae is fiscally sponsored by the Trans-Pacific Research and Action Institute for the hisabetsu-nikkei (TRAI).

Buraku Liberation League

According to a 1993 government survey, there were about 1.2million Buraku people at 4442 Buraku communities nationwide. These figures, however, only represent those areas classified as Dowa districts. (Dowa districts refer to Buraku areas in terms of government policy administration). Actual figures are estimated to as many as 6000 Buraku communities with over 3 million population. Although living standard of Buraku people became higher compared to the past, there are still gap between Buraku people and non-Buraku people. In addition, there are many incidents of discrimination, particularly in marriage and employment as well as discriminatory remarks and inquiries made by non-Buraku people, including public officials.

Single Mother Forum

Single parent households (parents and children younger than or equal to 18 years of age), living in the areas with high levels of nuclear radiation in Fukushima, such as Koriyama city.

The earthquake of March 11 caused tremendous damage in Tohoku. Fukushima has been suffering from the damage of earthquake, tsunami, radiation, harmful rumors, unemployment, and so on, which has led to more damage than other Tohoku prefectures.

Because of the incident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, almost one third of the population in Fukushima prefecture has been evacuated. However, the national and prefectural governments have not secured relocation areas for those who had to evacuate from their homes; most people are moving from one shelter to another. Moreover, some shelters do not receive enough information or relief supplies.

The Single Mother Forum was founded to support single mother households. Since the needs for single mothers are growing, the Single Mother Forum is now based in Tokyo, Kansai, Hokkaido, Fukushima, Fukuoka, and Okinawa. They promote well-being for single mothers and their children by providing information, network space, leisure programs, and by advocating for equal parental-rights laws. They also offer toll-free hotline service for single mothers who are concerned about social security, financial issues, children's education, and so on. They also provide for those who suffer from domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, and any other types of violence against women.

Network Orange

Children and adults with special needs in Kesen-numa city, Miyagi prefecture

Although 2 months have passed since the earthquake and tsunami, the situation has not changed for many survivors. Network Orange has distributed relief goods to the children and adults with disabilities and/or special needs 4 times in April and May.

Since March 23, using Miko Onodera, the representative's own house, Network Orange restarted their services. Network Orange continues to support children and adults with disabilities and special needs to become socially independent through assisting employment. Network Orange also distributes relief aid to the people in the most severely struck areas, or those who have not received enough support. In addition, having founded Kesen-numa Mirai Sozo Juku (Kesen-numa Future Creation School), Network Orange is cultivating human resources and building the bases of recovery for the future of Kesen-numa city.

Community Life Support Center

Senior citizens, people with disabilities or special needs.

Tohoku Kanto Earthquake Support Network, affiliated with Community Life Support Center (CLC), is currently supporting senior citizens and people with special needs by sending medical and nursing staff to 10 shelters (in Minami Sanriku, Onagawa, Wakuya, Ishinomaki, Yamamoto, and Watari), medical facilities, senior institutions, and welfare facilities for people with special needs in Miyagi prefecture. They are also distributing children’s books and toys to 5 shelters.

Community Life Support Center (CLC) was founded immediately after the 3.11 earthquake and tsunami to support organizations and their network which provide services for senior citizens, people with disabilities or special needs, and children. CLC became a center for the organizations that manages “takuro-sho,” (private or nonprofit small-sized senior homes, and senior daycare homes) and has been involved in community welfare. Takuro-sho started as a grassroots movement in the mid 1980s by caretakers and nurses, who wanted to help seniors with dementia that were not accepted by regular senior homes. CLC has played a role to activate the welfare systems and senior care services in the local communities by promoting citizen’s mutual support.