August 7, 2024
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.

 

　OCEANICWING S.A.S. (OCEANICWING), a France-based affiliate of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE), recently cooperated in volunteer activity supporting the earthquake-stricken area of the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa, Japan and helped to organize a gathering in Nantes, France where local people interacted with children visiting from the affected area.

 

　After hearing that some children from the area affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake would visit France to cheer at the Paris Olympics supported by the Japanese volunteer organization Smile for Nippon, OCEANICWING in collaboration with a France-based volunteer organization encouraged the municipal government of Nantes, where the company is located, to organize a gathering. The company was involved in supporting the entire process from preparations to running the event, including making arrangements for the attendees, an emcee and an interpreter, to make the gathering happen.

 

　The gathering was held on July 26 and attended by over 30 people, including five junior high school students and their volunteer companions from the areas in Japan affected by the disaster, Japanese students studying in France, French people studying Japanese, members of the Nantes city council and others. In the opening address, a representative from the government of Nantes said the city and its counterpart in Japan, Niigata City, had been sending local students to each other every year since they formed a sister city relationship in 2009, expressing much joy to see the growth of the solidarity between Japan and France through the gathering. The speech was followed by reports from the visiting junior high school students about the status of the earthquake damage and reconstruction process, an exchange of gifts, games and conversation between all of the attendees. They strengthened their friendship with each other.

 

　The Noto Peninsula Earthquake occurred on January 1, 2024, enormously damaging northern Noto Peninsula, including Wajima and Suzu. It will still be a very long time before the recovery is complete. The junior high school students from the stricken area squarely face difficulties every day despite having suffered from the earthquake and numerous restrictions being placed on them. We hope their visit to Europe will be an opportunity for them to understand that many people all over the world empathize and connect with them. We again express our sincerest wishes for the earliest possible recovery of the affected areas.

[Emelie Bourdon, city assembly member and junior high school students]

[Emelie Bourdon, city assembly member and junior high school students]

[Scenes from the gathering]

[Scenes from the gathering]