A letter from my friend Shinji Masuko (in the Bordoms) from Japan about the current situation and aftermath of the earthquake and nuclear power plant problem… We think it is very important to read this and be aware of what is going on and how lucky we are to live where we live. Dated March 24th, 2011.

Hi everyone, 

It’s Shinji here. Sorry, I wrote a long message again. Please read this if you have time. This is a latest report from my place. First of all, thank you so much for sending your donations. Currently, $6913.48 in total, (donation through Aska Matsumiya’s The Rainbow Project is included).

http://askamatsumiya.com/therainbowproject.html

I am very surprised because my goal was $1000 when I started this fund… I am not an organization, or group. I am just a ordinary person. Now I can act by obtaining your trust. Angain, thank you so much. I can’t thank you enough… I sent 7,000,00 yen = $8,645.18 in total ($3000 from this donation, $5645 from donation through musician community in Osaka and my personal donation)  to Civic Force. I mentioned I will send donations to Peace Wind Japan too, but I didn’t. Because…Now they built a complete cooperative relationship!! Now they are the same team. And, today I bought 150,000yen = $1853.54 ‘s worth of goods at a wholesale market (very close from my house! My closest station name is east market, haha) to send to the stricken area, Fukushima, also known as the nuclear plant accident district. Today I got a very good information from Pika, ex. a drummer of Afrirampo. She found a logistic company where headquarters is in Fukushima, and they  accept the support goods in Osaka and send it immediately direct to the stricken area. I brought foods and paper products to their truck station by my rock’n roll van, business use very big canned foods x 240, pickled vegetables x 320 kilo gram, about 3000 roll of toilet paper. I was very glad I could get them at cheaper price, the market people cooperated soon gladly after I told them what I am going to do, though Osaka is also goods shortage. The truck will get there in a day! I think this is the fastest, certain way to bring good to the stricken area.

Now we have $2059.94 still. As I mentioned in last email, I will get more information from stricken area Fukushima directly soon from brother of Yoshihide Otomo, so I think I will be able to drop the rest of donation to right, efficient place as much as possible.

12 Days have passed since the earthquake and tsunami destroyed Japan. Official death toll is now 9523, 12,909 still missing in total, and about 250,000 people are without homes, living in refuge, their cars, wherever they can. In Tokyo, although people are trying to return to usual life, bad news pull them back to reality. Rotation electricity power cut is executed today too. People’s uneasiness and stress are raising.

As for nuclear plant, the situation is a seesaw.  There is no report more than current maintenance though the work of all-out continues, like, fire and black smoke relapsed in the nuclear plant immediately after the government announced repression is going well… In the issue, the radiation level around the plant has hardly changed, still very higher than usual level.

However, the radiation poisoning has extended surely day by day. IAEA detected radiation 1,600 times higher than normal levels in an area about 20 kilometers from nuclear plant…  Higher level than normal continues also in Tokyo. Sea water, soil, farm produce, milk… A high density radioactive substance has been detected from all things. And shipment restriction and ingestion limitation to some food products was begun. The agriculture of north east Japan will become a catastrophic situation.

Moreover, the radioactive substance was detected from the filtration plant that Tokyo used. Tokyo and the surrounding area did notification to not give tap water to the baby. Government announces these level doesn’t give influence to our health at once, though it exceeds the normal level…Yes, I fear a harmful rumor and a meaningless rumor very much, and I think it is true maybe, but, at the same time, the truth is—-I am very afraid of it. Can you say ”OK, no problem!” or can you feed such food to your kids without hesitation? So, NOW WE NEED accurate information based on a correct standard, not an announcement from cold-livered government or opinions from crazy hypersensitive people who praise only health food. A calm situation assessment is necessary for us.

As for relief, the most of highway to the north east Japan was open yesterday!  A lot of overseas media are surprised at this quick restore. At last, the preparation for the recovery started little by little. However, most of the road to the stricken area remains being cut in pieces still. And please don’t forget, victims are living in refuge, not a house or apartment, without electricity, water service or gas, heater. There are a lot of people who die in the refuge though they survived with great pains from earthquake, because medical treatment is not enough. And, the area where damage is not serious also needs big help now. Many people could survive there, however there is completely nothing because nobody gives attention to such area. The relief is hard to reach there. Plus, influenza begins to spread in some refuge now. Medical treatment, hygiene, and information, everything is not enough at all.

However, relief commodities are reaching gradually as I mentioned above. I believe it is through your quick cooperation!

Thank you for your cooperate. I appreciate it very much.

Keep in touch.

Shinji

PS,

After I started this project, a lot of cool mails have come to me every day. So many sons of the former kings in unknown countries are trying to give me a chance to be a billionaire, and suddenly tempted by unknown women who call herself young and beautiful. Yesterday I won the prize for which I have not applied. Nice, I love this world. I can Cc you in secret if you want.

Shinji