One month has passed since the Noto Peninsula earthquake occurred at the beginning of this year, and one year has passed since the earthquake in Turkey February 6 last year. In the two distant disaster areas, many victims who lost their homes continue to live in inconvenient evacuation shelters in the same severe coldness. Once again, we would like to express our heartfelt sympathy to all those who have been affected by the disaster.

AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) has been working in both disaster-stricken areas, dispatching emergency support teams immediately after the earthquakes. In Ishikawa Prefecture, in addition to providing food at evacuation centers, AAR Japan has been delivering relief supplies mainly to welfare facilities for the people with disabilities, foreign residents, and communities in need of support in more difficult circumstances. In the affected areas in southeastern Turkey, we continue to provide support to residents still living in temporary tents and containers.

The needs of disaster-affected areas change over time. What is common to both Noto and Turkey is that there is still a lack of support, and that there are still many survivors for whom support is difficult to reach, or many of them have few access for support. On the other hand, they also have in common that people are supporting each other and helping each other in the community to regain a “normal life”, patiently facing the reality of the harsh situation in which they have lost their precious homes and jobs.

In the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, AAR has been conducting support activities with the generous cooperation of many companies, organizations, and individuals. We are still receiving donations along with messages of support for the victims of the Turkey earthquake. We would like to thank everyone again for your understanding and cooperation.

Amidst the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and elsewhere, there has been a series of large-scale disasters in Japan and abroad. We are the only people living in the same era who can reach out to those affected by conflicts and disasters. We would like to ask for your continued support for AAR’s efforts to provide assistance to victims and humanitarian aid in Japan and abroad.