Why Japan Doesn’t Need International Volunteers

Map of the earthquake in Japan

• Japan was stuck by a large 9.0 earthquake in March, 2011
• Japan is not currently seeking the aid of international volunteers
• You can help my donating to relief funds

On March 11, a magnitude 9 earthquake hit the east coast of Honshu, Japan, damaging and destroying thousands of buildings, and killing or injuring more than 13,000 individuals.

You’ve seen the news; you want to help, and if you’ve done some searching, you’ve found that no one’s really calling for volunteers. But why? What’s stopping waves of good-hearted volunteers from giving their time and effort to recovery and rebuilding?

Well.. Japan hasn’t asked for the help.

To back up for a minute: in the immediate aftermath of any natural disaster it’s best for most volunteers to hold back while trained ones are mobilized to assist.

By trained volunteers, I mean those individuals who have specific preparation and practice in disaster response scenarios. These volunteers have psychological training to prepare adequately for and respond to immediate and unexpected challenges that arise in disaster situations. They also have knowledge of how immediate response efforts progress, and have background in medical attention and other high-priority areas.

These volunteers are kept on call for events like the earthquake in Japan; they’re the first responders. Think of it this way: if a house catches fire, the first people on the scene are the firefighters. They’re trained to navigate burning buildings and know what to look out for. And, as you can imagine, individuals with good intentions but inadequate training can be hurtful to the effort and to themselves by rushing into a burning building.

Now, how about Japan’s situation? You might imagine that highly trained volunteers from around the world must have mobilized and responded.

Not quite.

The government of Japan didn’t ask for help immediately because they didn’t require it. They have the manpower, the economic capacity, and the infrastructure needed to respond quickly and effectively to the earthquake and resulting tsunamis.

It’s a different situation than, for example, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Japan was capable of keeping a large number of trained response volunteers among the ranks for potential natural or manmade disasters, while Haiti, unfortunately, could not. Japan’s economy is the third largest in the world, while 80% of Haiti’s population falls below the poverty line.

According to a report released by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):

Even though the scale of the damage following the earthquake and tsunami was significant and resulting humanitarian needs remain considerable…Japan is a highly developed country and has, in principle, enough resources as well as the ability to respond to existing humanitarian needs. The country can both produce and procure relief supplies domestically and has the capacity to deliver those supplies to the affected population. Japan has a consolidated disaster management system for disaster response although coordination and logistical challenges have yet to be fully overcome. OCHA’s initial observation is that the need for any further international humanitarian presence or internationally procured relief supplies is limited and any such assistance should only be provided upon the request of the Japanese Government and in accordance with their stated criteria. In addition, it is important not to overburden affected prefectures and local communities who are working at full capacity and do not have the resources to coordinate unsolicited offers of assistance.

Japanese government organizations and NGOs responded quickly and effectively to the earthquake and tsunamis. For an overview of Japan’s relief response, AlertNet has compiled an article to answer some frequently asked questions.

Aftermath of the Japan earthquake

Currently, the government has accepted only limited support from international organizations—the same report cited above from OCHA states, “The Government of Japan has received 133 offers of assistance from countries as well as 33 offers from international organizations. It has accepted relief items from 24 countries.”

If you would like to help with the relief effort, by far the best way is through monetary donations to organizations established as providing assistance to this situation. However, if you choose to donate, I would advise you not to earmark it (i.e., state that your funding may only be utilized for the Japan relief effort)—this is the best way for your money to do a lot of good in areas that need it.

Yes, there is a chance that your money may not reach Japan, but it’s guaranteed to reach other important relief projects that are ongoing, or that may occur in the future.