Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Roundtable
On Wednesday 6th July, Mr Yasufumi Kotake, Acting Consul-General of Japan, participated in the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Roundtable held at the University of Melbourne as a session of the 2011 Japanese Studies Association of Australia Conference. Mr Kotake was one of the eight panelists of the roundtable and made a short presentation under the theme of “What does the event
and its aftermath tell us about Australia-Japan relations?”
During the presentation, Mr Kotake spoke about PM Gillard’s visit to Japan and the support shown by the Federal and State Governments.
The presentation also highlighted the fund raising efforts of sister cities, private companies, religious, educational and sports organisations, as well as artists and famous chefs.
Mr Kotake also made mention of the assistance provided by Japan-Australia friendship organizations and Japanese companies. Mr Kotake concluded that through the recent disaster, the “comprehensive and strategic partnership” between Japan and Australia, which consists of economic, political, security and people-to-people links, had been further strengthened.
