UN's Ban visits Japan's nuclear disaster zone

UN's Ban visits Japan's nuclear disaster zone

2011-08-09 05:55:57 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the Fukushima disaster zone in Japan on Monday, expressing solidarity to those affected by the 'triple disaster' triggered by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accidents that devastated the area earlier this year.

Ban visited an evacuation center where he met with more than a dozen displaced families to whom he expressed his sympathy, his hopes for an early recovery and his belief that Japan will rise to the challenges ahead.

The UN chief also later met with a group of students at the Fukushima Minami High School, urging them to combine their strengths to help Japan to recover. He observed that, because of the suffering that the students had endured, they could "understand devastation and loss all too well." With that understanding, he added, "you can do so much to help your community and our world."

While addressing the students, Ban Ki-moon also pledged to put nuclear safety and security high on the international agenda. "I can tell you that I take the issue of nuclear safety and security very seriously," he said.

"While I was struck and saddened by the level of destruction by these triple crises I was also encouraged by what I have seen. I have seen such as strong will and unbreakable spirit and determination and resilience of the Japanese people and I am sure that Japan will be able to overcome this very soon," Ban Ki-moon said after a meeting in Tokyo with Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto.

Ban also said he welcomed Kan's assurance that the Japanese Government will share its 'invaluable experience' and lessons learned from this tragedy with the international community, particularly in the area of disaster risk reduction and preparedness and also strengthening nuclear safety standards.

The Secretary-General's visit coincided with the sixty-sixth anniversary of the atomic attacks on Japan, and Ban took the occasion to reconfirm his commitment to free the world of all nuclear weapons. For this, Ban has commissioned a report by experts from across the United Nations system on the implications of the Fukushima disaster.

He will also convene a high-level meeting in September to bring together officials from around the world to discuss the report and international cooperation on nuclear safety and security.

Japan's nuclear crisis began when the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was severely damaged on March 11 when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami devastated the country. The disaster killed at least 23,482 people, while 8,069 remain missing. There are still more than 88,000 people who are staying in shelters in 21 prefectures around Japan.

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