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The people of Chile have donated a
Moai to the town of Minamisanriku,
Miyagi Prefecture. The Moai, carved
out of rock by the indigenous
people of Easter Island, serves as a
symbol of friendship between Chile
and Japan, and of reconstruction
efforts following the Great East
Japan Earthquake. A “Moai Project
Execution Committee¹” was set up
to coordinate the presentation of
this gift.
The bond existing between
Minamisanriku and Chile has been
expressed through the Moai since
1960, when the Great Chilean
Earthquake triggered a tsunami that struck the Japanese
town. In 1990, a Moai donated by Chile was erected in
Minamisanriku to commemorate the disaster and serve as a
symbol of reconstruction and friendship. That Moai, treasured
by the townspeople, was washed away by the tsunami
following the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.
The value attached to the Moai by the people of
Minamisanriku, particularly by students from the local
Shizugawa High School, became well known among Chileans
and so plans to present a new Moai were initiated in Chile by
the Esperanza Committee. Esperanza means hope, and this
Committee was established by private enterprises in Chile to
mobilize and coordinate assistance from Chile for the disaster
struck region. When Chilean president Sebastián Piñera
visited Minamisanriku in March 2012, he reiterated Chile’s
commitment to donating a new Moai to the town.
With the assistance of NYK, the new Moai arrived in Japan
at the end of December
2012. After being displayed
in Tokyo and Osaka, the
Moai was presented to
Minamisanriku at an official
ceremony held in the town on
May 25.
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Mr. Patricio Becker, Minister
Counselor, Embassy of the Republic
of Chile and MC Senior Advisor Mr.
Mikio Sasaki at the Moai uncrating
ceremony. When Mr. Sasaki visited
the tsunami-struck region in October
2011 to give encouragement
to disaster relief volunteers he
suddenly spotted the Moai among
the rubble. Greatly moved by this, he
proposed to the town hall that it be
temporarily relocated. |
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On display in Tokyo in March. The new Moai is
3 meters tall and weighs some 2 tons. |
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| Note 1: The Moai Project Execution Committee is comprised of representatives from
Minamisanriku, the Embassy of Chile in Japan, the Japan-Chile Business Cooperation
Committee and the Esperanza Committee. The Committee is chaired by Mitsubishi
Corporation Senior Advisor Mikio Sasaki. In addition to other collaborators, the project
received support from the following Mitsubishi Group Companies: Mitsubishi Corporation,
Mitsubishi Estate, Mitsubishi Estate Building Management Co., Ltd. and NYK. |
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