Paying Tribute to the “Incredible Spirit” of Tsunami Survivors
Vice President Biden arrived In Tokyo late Monday evening — the final leg of his trip through Asia. As he told Prime Minister Naoto Kan, he came to Japan for two main reasons: to express sympathy, admiration, and continued support from the U.S. in the wake of the March 11th earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, and to reiterate the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance. “We [the United States] are a Pacific power. You are a Pacific power. You are our ally,” said the Vice President.
From Tokyo, he traveled 90 miles north to the Sendai region — one of the hardest hit by the tsunami last March. Delivering remarks on the second floor of Sendai International Airport’s main terminal — where hundreds of residents from nearby neighborhoods fled to escape the tsunami’s path — Vice President Biden praised U.S. Forces Japan for working around the clock to clear debris and repair a runway that enabled the arrival of hundreds of relief workers, and hundreds of tons of humanitarian assistance.