Japan’s Resiliency Amid Disaster Wins Global Praise

Television stations around the world broadcasting footages of one disaster after another, reporting a thousand death by tsunami and 10,000 others missing, 1.4 million people without running water, millions of dollars in damages and a threat of possible nuclear meltdown, have left Japan the worst hit nation by adversity this year.

But amidst these tragedies, the nation and its people have remained calm and resilient wailing softly in the face of bleak future with no encouraging developments in sight except for the constant outpouring of assistance, condolences and aid by sympathetic nations across the globe.

Never ever displaying signs of emotional distraught the army worked vigorously in search for survivors, only gratifying their persistence with discoveries of hope, where in one instance, they found a young couple hiding in the ruins of Ishinomaki, a coastal town northeast of Sendai, with their four-month-old daughter. In another, the navy found a 60 year old man washed away 15 kms out to sea.

In spite of the scarcity of food supply, AAP reported no hint of looting or violence, and residents calmly lined up at half-empty stores or in searching for their loved ones, even patient in waiting for basic necessities.

Harvard University professor Joseph NyeJoseph Nye said this display of resilience, he termed as ‘soft power,’ may benefit Japan in showcasing their attractive features, "In addition to the sympathy it will engender, it shows a stable, well-mannered society that was as prepared for such a disaster as any modern country could be, and which is responding in a calm and orderly way," he told AFP.

In an editorial, The Wall Street Journal said, "After a once-in-300-years earthquake, the Japanese have been keeping cool amid the chaos, organising an enormous relief and rescue operation, and generally earning the world's admiration."

http://au.news.yahoo.com/japan-tsunami/a/-/article/9011361/in-tragedy-japanese-impress-world/