Sending money to Japan

[manisandher]

I'd like to send some money to Japan. I've done a quick Google search and it's not obvious how best to proceed. Does anyone know of a good way to do this? I.e. Guaranteed to get to the people who need it. Is there a particular organisation that I should look into, e.g. The International Red Cross? Any others?

I saw a report on TV yesterday showing people lining up in a queue waiting to buy food from a shop with very little stock left in it. No commotion. No complaining. No pushing or shoving.

What character.

Mani.

[PeterSt]

Nice idea Mani.

I could ask someone I know there and whom I trust ...



PS: You are not telling that those queues were even more ordently than British queues are ?
(maybe an inappropriate remark in a most serious topic, but I guess you know British (or English I think) are known for this ?

[manisandher]

Peter, yes please ask your friend and let us know what he/she advises.

Yes, the English are known for their queing. And I'm sure that were something similar to have happened here 50-60 years ago, the scene would have been similar. But alas, the English character has changed in this time - just go to any English town/city (apart from Central London) at 10-11pm on a Friday or Saturday and you will see exactly what I mean. (For anyone interested in reading more about this, Jeremy Paxman wrote a good book about it called 'The English'.)

Mani.

PS. I was born and bred in England and love most aspects of my country... but I don't have a drop of English blood in my veins, and for some reason find it far easier to call myself 'British' than 'English'.

[PeterSt]

Just did. Waiting for an answer. They will be sleeping at the moment.

[BrianG]

Nice idea Mani, however, Japan is one of the most wealthy nations in the world so they are not short of cash what they don't now have is infrastructure or a supply network so how can we help with that? 
With the uncertainty surrounding the power stations and the timescales involved investors are moving there wealth from the Japanese stocks so perhaps the best "we" can do and perhaps the most efficient is to buy something made in Japan?

[manisandher]

Hi Brian,

That's an interesting take on things. I suppose I was thinking more of short-term relief work - donating money to specifically help agencies do their immediate work. But I'm sure you're right - Japan is probably going to be able to provide the necessary financial resources to such agencies. I'd still like to hear back from Peter's friend there though.

Thinking longer term, yes buying Japanese goods might help...

Mani.

[sasaki]

Hi all, I live in Tokyo Japan.

When the big one hit, I was working at my office on 18th floor of the building. We were shaken like a roller coaster but the building was designed to do so to cancel earthquake energy.
Now most of lifeline is ok here but lack of gasoline is obvious and electricity supply is short. We still have atomic fear as you probably read on news. Aftershocks are countless. Though Internet is perfectly working include 3G.
I've not heard so many injured around here so your friends in Tokyo would probably be ok I think.
This is the situation of Tokyo area that is several hundred kilometer away from the center of earthquake. 
The worst is northern Japan.

The earthquake energy was 180 times bigger than the big West Japan earthquake that was the biggest ever. Even many earthquake meters itself were damaged by earthquake. Tsunami reached into 5km inland. Over ten thousands people were probably be killed or more.
The affected area is isolated by earthquake. Any roads and trains does not service currently. Many of us want to go to help them but we can't.

So currently special rescue parties are the only hope as you were mentioning. 
I want to say thank you all for all of your country's supports and help. Many countries are now providing great supports. Our rescue parties are full because of the unexpected scale of the incident. We are very much appreciated your country's supports.

I want to say thank you again for all the thoughts of the member here. We know the news that many countries are offering help, we are happy to hear that not only by the goods but by your warmest thoughts and hearts.

Regarding international donation, I guess the Red-cross would be the best way to donate. No one who sucks money is not here I believe. 
Anyway your hearts are the most important support to us. Thank you.

Best regards,

Sasaki

[manisandher]

Hi sasaki,

Welcome. Thank you very much for your post. It's just a shame that your first post here is during such a difficult situation. Of course, we hear a lot of details on the news, but you know, it's just different coming from a local person. I for one really appreciate the specific details you mention in your post. Thank you.

Regarding international donation, I guess the Red-cross would be the best way to donate.

I will look into this today.

Anyway your hearts are the most important support to us. Thank you.

You're welcome.

Mani.

[PeterSt]

Dear Sasaki,

Thank you very much for your insight. And, although you were just ahead of me, this morning (10 am here now) I was thinking about the actual impact of things, which may be beyond some at this moment, but which to my idea is nothing but the more terrible. As said, you were just ahead of me, but it must be about this :

Foremost in the tsunami hit areas, there is no gasoline. Nothing. This already means that people can't go anywhere. So, those who survived can't escape. That is, *if* they had their cars not washed away. Next, there are again no cars (because no gasoline) to provide food. Food, or any of the other so many needed things. Water to name something. Even help can't get there, because of the same problem.
People with some petrol left just outside the area will need to drive 100Km before they find this one station with gasoline left. This circle gets bigger and bigger because less and less stations left with gasoline.

This is not about people who are hungry or need first life support otherwise, this is about injured people, no house anymore and spreading deceases.

It may look strange, but these things can be derived from reporters not being able to get in the area. They just don't make it because of the lack of gasoline. Let alone the other way around ... all those people who need to get out of there.
I can say more, but just try to imagine what actually will be going on when no transportation is possible. All just stops ...
[I tried to find an appropriate smiley here, but no smileys exist for this]


Another kind of subject ...

Yesterday we read about people queing up to leave Tokyo. We also read about air plane tickets being 3 times more expensive than usal because it is a "market". I have a smiley for that one :
But for what it is worth, this is my personal opinion about what is happening in the nuclear plant :

No matter what you are told, right from the start all has been out of control. And we know what "out of control" means to this respect ...
This is not - and can not be such a long row of stupid mistakes. Therefore right from the start nothing could be done.
If we hear about explosions here, there, next, next again, fire here, fire there, oh what ? another fire ... and we will NOT be seeing what actually happens inside ... ALL is out of control. You can keep on flying red waterbags with helicopters and let it rain with some false hope ...

But I guess you better all leave.
Right. How many people ?

At writing this I'm having the shivers all over. By now I start to be scared to follow the news on this.
It will be a matter of when.

IF I ONLY COULD BE WRONG

[manisandher]

Regarding international donation, I guess the Red-cross would be the best way to donate.

I will look into this today.

I've just made a donation here: http://www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now/Make-a-single-donation/Japan-Tsunami-Appeal

Although I accept that not all this money may go to Japan: "In the event that we receive more donations to the Japan Tsunami Appeal than the Japanese Red Cross and International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement can reasonably and efficiently spend, any surplus funds will be used to help us prepare for and respond to humanitarian disasters both here in the UK and overseas."

Mani.

[PeterSt]

Maybe that is why the Red Cross put out the message that Tokyo is completely safe and people can just go there ?

http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/9279121/__Rode_Kruis__Tokio_is_veilig__.html?p=20,1

No, my remark didn't make much sense, but this "news" is total rubbish. Is this the reporting we have to deal with (I mean, most probably from reporters who missed something) ?

Is it meant to be comforting ?

Is the Red Cross really thinking this ?

Do editors of news papers (this is a news paper) just accept everything ?


I am not sure whether this post of mine is even the slightest important, but I see similarities with the reporting of things going on in Japan itself. If it were "propaganda" I would be able to see the logic of things, but there are no wars going on here. It, however, could create some afterwards.

Somehow I wish I could be overthere. Help organizing things. Spend a gift of 1000 euro on a plane ticket. And no, it would be no vacation ...


PS: I tried using that link Mani, but it is for UK tax payers only. I will try to find a more general one.

[PeterSt]

I see ghosts !!

At looking for this "general Red Cross page", I ran into a dutch page. This is most definitely (I mean 100%) sure the very same setup as the UK version. But ...

The dutch page translates just a small tad differently, and only after reading that, you'll understand the english version.
Don't hesitate to combine it with my previous post ...


"Because the Japanse Red Cross dit not ask for financial aid yet, the dutch Red Cross dit not start funding. [...] Your donation will be used for the Japanese Red Cross. When we receive more money than can be spend in a justified fashion, your money will be used to support victims from other disasters"


What do I miss, or what is going on here ?

[manisandher]

What's going on? Don't know, but it seems strange that the Red Cross are asking for money specifically for Japan, when they say none has been requested from Japan. Could the RC be using this as an opportunity for raising funds in general? I'd be pretty cheesed off if they were - my wife and I already give regularly to charity and on this ocassion I wanted to make a one-off donation specifically for Japan.

Maybe sasaki could tell us if there are any reports in Japan of relief agencies asking for more money.

Mani.

[PeterSt]

This is the best text that I could find :

(from http://www.rnw.nl/nederlands/bulletin/rode-kuis-opent-donatiemodule-japan)

Er komt vooralsnog geen nationale hulpactie voor Japan.  Giro 555 wordt daar niet voor geopend. Dat heeft een woordvoerder van het Nederlandse Rode Kruis laten weten.  Omdat het Rode Kruis veel  vragen kreeg van mensen die iets wilden bijdragen is er op de website van het Rode Kruis een zogeheten 'donatiemodule' geopend.

Het gaat daarbij om giro 6868 tnv het Nederlandse Rode Kruis. Mensen kunnen hun bijdrage overmaken onder de vermelding 'Japan'.

Het Japanse Rode Kruis heeft laten weten geen behoefte te hebben aan een speciaal gironummer, en het heeft ook geen idee heeft wat er nodig is, en wanneer. Daarom zal er verder geen extra publiciteit aan giro 6868 gegeven worden. Wel zal het geld dat op giro 6868 binnenkomt overgemaakt worden naar het Japanse Rode Kruis


In short this says that the Japanese Red Cross doesn't want any money, nor do they know what is needed and when. "Therefore no publicity will be given to this account number, although open for receiving money on it". And "The money arriving on this account anyway, will be transferred to the Japanese Red Cross".


I sorted out that the "UK Page" and "Dutch page" we talked about earlier, for the dutch part of it at least has this account number behind it. There is no reason to believe that the UK page will "behave" differently.


I guess this is a totally strange situation for us, because with disasters there's always this 555 account number where people can put money to. Even this account is not open now, and while people WANT to help with money, they just can't.