Do We Need to Prepare for an Earthquake and Tsunami?

March 11. Woke up as usual. While sipping black coffee and watching television in the morning, my little daughter asked about the cause of the tsunami that happened on March 11, 2011. I tried to explain to her that the tsunami on March 11 happened due to the earthquake in the Pacific Ocean. 

Many questions followed when my elder daughter also joined the question panel. Almost 30 minutes of question-and-answer games in the morning itself! Then the final question came: Will it happen again, and do we need to prepare for it?

Reached the office, worked, and returned back home as usual. Nobody talked about March 11 at the workplace. The day was just like any other day. Some offices might have observed a silent prayer time. Newspapers were full of reports from various corners about how NGOs approached commemorating the devastating earthquake and tsunami that happened five years ago and paid homage to the departed souls. At schools, students observed a minute of silence at 2:46 p.m. There was no difference for the March 11 for an average Japanese person at workplaces, or they simply did not show it in public.

'Japan Times' and 'Japan Today' had reported that millions of people were expected to observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. in Japan as the country marks the fifth anniversary of the March 2011 quake and tsunami that devastated coastal areas of the Tohoku region. As per the official records, the disaster killed 19,304 and left an additional 2,561 lives still unaccounted until today. This year's homage to the victims of March 11 was highlighted by the growing agitation among the public against nuclear power. 

The prime minister, Mr. Abe, went to the extent of issuing a statement in parliament that it was impossible for Japan to remain at the status of an industrialized nation without nuclear power. For a country like Japan, where natural resources are limited, nuclear power is indispensable. The government accelerates the process to reactivate the 42 commercial reactors that were shut down after the nuclear crisis followed by the March 11 tsunami.

Whether nuclear power could be totally eliminated or not should be discussed after developing alternative energy sources powerful enough to feed industries and urban life. I am not a supporter of nuclear power, but I understand and believe in a simple fact: we need powerful energy sources to enhance the life conditions. Removal of nuclear energy could be possibly done after making sure the capabilities of alternative energy sources. If the government is convinced the alternative energy sources can support industries and urban life, then go ahead. The March 11 anniversary comes as around 174,000 evacuees from disaster-hit areas are still living outside their damaged hometowns. Is this what the nuclear energy could do to the uplifting of human life?

Out of the 174,000 evacuees from the tsunami-hit areas, around 43,000 are from Fukushima. Fukushima is the prefecture where TEPCO's No. 1 nuclear power plant was wrecked by the March 11 tsunami. Yesterday, the Japanese government issued a statement (Japan today reported this news today) that the restoration of housing infrastructures had been almost finished. Most of the houses have been built by the residents or supported by the volunteers. This is something remarkable and unique to Japan. Houses in coastal areas have been built at high places to avoid possible tsunamis in the future.

The Japanese government expects another big earthquake and tsunami in the near future. Preparations have been continuously done by various agencies to educate people to remain alert and practice safe evacuation procedures. 

At home, we conducted a check on the Earthquake Emergency Kit. Opened the kit and replaced some clothes with the new ones, refilled the food section of the kit with new food items. Well-packed and sealed food items have longer expiry dates, but still it is highly recommended to replace them with new ones once in a while. Children were excitedly engaged in the replacing activity at home. When reminded about the question in the morning, our little daughter told us, "Don't take it seriously; I just asked.".

There is a moment in transcendental meditation where we feel eternity. I don't remember exactly the quote Swami Vivekananda used to explain the eternal moments, which is something like, "The heart of this moment is eternal.". I have totally forgotten the context in which he used this proverb, but I still remember the essence of his explanation. He used it to explain the eternity one achieves during meditation. There are many interpretations of this quote. Live in this moment. Why do we worry about the past when we cannot go back and change it? Why do we worry about the future when we cannot go forward and change it? So, be in this moment and live it to its fullest. After all, who knows what happens in the next moment! What we can do as human beings is to prepare for the worst and pray for the best.

Why is the Japanese Population Declining?

Recent newspaper reports suggest declining population of Japan. In fact, the reports indicating the lower birth rates and declining population has been in the air for a while, but for the first time, there was an official declaration from the Japanese census bureau that Japan’s population has reached a 95 year low. This is simply alarming to an industrial nation like Japan.

I do not intend to plunge deeper into the causes of population decline in Japan. There may be multiple reasons why the population is going down, ranging from low birth rates attributed to reduced interest of people to lead married life, the decision of couples living without children, loss of interest in family affairs, increasing living costs to afford and accommodate children, the availability of alternative gratification means in the market, etc. The list can go longer citing social, economic, biological and anthropological reasons.

Whatever be the cause, Japan has lost almost one million of its people. This has been the sharpest decline recorded in the last 95 years. Japan’s official census started in the 1920s, and the census bureau says the loss of one million happened during the 2010-2015 period. Hot discussions are going on bulletin boards about why the Japanese population is declining and why young Japanese people do not have the interest in the institution of the family. Some even go to the extent of discussing declining interest in real-life sex in the country and increasing choice for sex dolls.

Economists fear that the decline in population spells trouble for the world’s most indebted economy. While the declining population helps the migrants from other countries to find jobs in Japan, it affects badly the domestic consumption and growth. If it goes unchecked, the United Nations warns that Japan will lose 83 million more people by 2100, with more than 35 percent of people aged more than 65 years.

I was reading the Shinto mythology recently and came across an interesting piece of the challenge made between the God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami. They were the first couple descended from heaven to create Japan and the rest of the world. After the death of Izanami and her subsequent transition to the world of the dead called Yomi, Izanagi tried to bring his wife back to life but failed. (Read the whole story of Izanagi and Izanami here). At the end of their argument, Izanami told her she would take 1000 lives every day. For this, Izanagi gave a fitting reply that he will give birth to 1500 lives every day. This was the reason for the population increase in Japan and the rest of the world.

Izanami is not taking more life from Japan. The aging population is increasing, but the younger population is decreasing, indicating lower birth rates. The reason is clear. Izanagi needs to keep up his promise.