Turkish and Japanese people should share earthquake-specific knowledge to build more resilient societies as both countries have the same fate living on fault lines, according to the Japanese ambassador to Türkiye.
Suzuki Kazuhiro, Japan's top diplomat in Türkiye, in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), reflected upon Tokyo's solidarity and support for the Turkish people in the wake of the deadly Feb. 6 twin earthquakes.
"Earthquakes will never leave us," said Kazuhiro, who supervised the delivery of emergency medical relief goods delivered by special aircraft operated by Japan Self-Defense Forces. "We must cope with it wisely and effectively."
Over 50,000 people died due to the earthquakes that hit Türkiye in early February. Millions of people in 17 provinces were affected.
Hundreds of international search and rescue professionals and volunteers, including from Japan, flew into Türkiye to help the disaster-hit people.
Soon after the news about the devastation spread, the Japanese government decided the same day "to dispatch a search and rescue team of the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR)," said Kazuhiro.
Around 73 Japanese rescuers worked day and night in southern Kahramanmaraş province, the epicenter of the devastating tremors.
Additionally, Tokyo dispatched the medical team of JDR, under which 75 health personnel provided various medical services in Oğuzeli in the Gaziantep province.
"Our team provided not only initial emergency care to those injured but also offered more sophisticated care, such as in-patient acute care, general and obstetric emergency surgery for trauma and other major conditions," the ambassador said.
In the aftermath of such an unprecedented situation in Türkiye, Kazuhiro said Japanese Emperor Naruhito wrote a letter of condolence to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also spoke with Erdoğan via phone call and "conveyed the decision to provide emergency assistance worth $8.5 million and additional provision of emergency relief goods," the ambassador said.
Kazuhiro himself has traveled to many municipalities around Türkiye since being posted in Ankara two-and-a-half years ago.
He said the twin quakes reminded the Japanese people of their own past sufferings.
It "made us vividly recall the extreme difficulties we ourselves had during the Great East Japan Earthquake 12 years ago," he said, referring to the devastating earthquake that hit northern Japan during the winter of 2011, resulting in the death of over 19,500 people.
Many ordinary people in Japan "want to do something for the Turkish people," he said.
"I've been receiving a lot of inquiries from Japan. The Japanese National Diet, our parliament, has decided to donate a certain sum of money from each member of parliament’s monthly salary," said Kazuhiro.
He added that Japanese companies are also donating their medical and pharmaceutical goods to Türkiye, "trying to supplement what the disaster areas need."
"Small and large business corporations, various associations, not to mention philanthropic foundations and NGOs, they are all mobilized to do something for Turkish people in time of extreme difficulty. Help from Japan will continue, with our earnest prayers of 'geçmiş olsun!'" the ambassador said, using the Turkish phrase for “get well soon."
Kazuhiro recalled the support extended by Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) during the Great East Japan Earthquake.
"We have never forgotten what Türkiye did for us in our extreme hardships," the ambassador noted.
Ahead of the 10th Memorial Day of the Great East Japan Earthquake two years ago, Kazuhiro said: "I presented my ambassador's award to the AFAD team which conducted search and rescue mission for the longest periods among various overseas teams sent to our great earthquake zone."
Fast forward to February at Incirlik Air Base, the ambassador recounted: "I saw (Japanese) Commander Takahashi wearing a big badge of (Mustafa) Kemal Atatürk (founder of the Republic of Türkiye) on his left shoulder. This was his way of showing a sense of solidarity with Türkiye. Many more people in Japan are feeling like this man."
Takahashi was part of a team that brought aid and relief packages to Türkiye.
"I personally feel the urge to do something for the disaster-hit people as now is really the time for us to return what we received 12 years ago," said Kazuhiro.
After the search and rescue period concluded, Japan started delivering emergency relief goods including tents (700 pieces), blankets (32,600 sheets), sleeping pads (5,400 pieces) and generators (250 pieces) to the disaster regions, he informed.
Moreover, a JDR mission comprising recovery and reconstruction experts visited the disaster areas for about 10 days "in order to swap opinions on an effective and practical recovery and reconstruction."
They "shared the experiences and lessons learned from this time and the past between our two earthquake-prone countries," Kazuhiro said, noting that Japan hasn't left the disaster areas and continues helping with ongoing efforts.
"Our two countries should share not only the deep sorrows we endured in the past but also experiences and specific knowledge in order for both of us to build more resilient and better societies," he concluded.
