After the March 11, 2011 tsunami disaster, Japan is providing $5 million to the US to help clear debris from the natural disaster. The tsunami had resulted in debris flowing out to sea from Japan, which ultimately landed on the US coast. The fund will help with the collection and disposal of the debris.
The donation was announced by the Japanese Foreign Ministry to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on November 29, 2012. During a meeting in the month of September, 2012, the Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihiko Noda informed the US Secretary of State of Hillary Clinton of their plan.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. On March 11, 2011, a huge earthquake on Japan’s northeastern coast with a magnitude of 9.0 had triggered a tsunami. The incident killed, or left missing at least 18,000 people and washed millions of tons of debris out to the sea.
Earlier, the NOAA said that it expects some of the debris to be washed up on US shores in the next several years. Donations from Japan will help the country monitor, remove and process this debris. Studies have indicated that about 70% of the debris has sunk, but a few items are said to be floating across the pacific, including a large plastic bin which was used to transport seafood. This bin landed in Hawaii.
