By THE JAPAN NEWS-YOMIURI Published: March 5, 2021 TOKYO The U.S. military s Operation Tomodachi relief efforts were vital to the people of Oshima island in Kesennuma. The island was severely damaged by the tsunami that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake, and was cut off from the mainland, leaving over 3,000 people stranded. Interactions between islanders and Marines involved in the operation continued afterwards. To leave a testament to their friendship, a group of islanders have built a monument and will hold an unveiling ceremony on Sunday, inviting Marines and others. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, in which the tsunami destroyed the port and ferries, relief supplies could not reach the island in bulk. On March 27, 2011, 16 days after the disaster, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and others transported supplies by sea, and on April 1, they landed on the island, where they spent about a week setting up showers and removing debris with heavy machinery.
Monument to U.S.-Japan friendship to be unveiled on disaster-hit Oshima island
The Japan News
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Reiko Kikuta crouches beside the base of the monument on Oshima island in Kesennuma, Japan, on Wednesday, with her husband, Takeshi, and son, Wataru.Japan News-Yomiuri photo
TOKYO - The U.S. military s Operation Tomodachi relief efforts were vital to the people of Oshima island in Kesennuma. The island was severely damaged by the tsunami that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake, and was cut off from the mainland, leaving over 3,000 people stranded. Interactions between islanders and marines involved in the operation continued afterwards.