Comments on: Update on how to help Japan: no room for more funding. We recommend giving to Doctors Without Borders to promote better disaster relief in general.

By: Raj

Raj — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:25:59 +0000

2 additional points to contemplate:
1. people should donate (to a reputable organization) if they want to, regardless of need. perhaps that money will go to Japan, perhaps elsewhere. but the act of giving itself is a human instinct that should not be restrained. we know that organizations need to be financial prepared for the next disaster. people who donate simply need to be aware of this.
2. it seems to me that the act of giving is part of a broader psychological process of healing for people around the world that have seen and been affected by the unimaginable devastation. often it is the only way they feel they can show support and empathy for those that are living through this tragedy.

By: Holden

Holden — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:22:22 +0000

Thanks for all the thoughts. I believe that objections to and questions about our position have been addressed in our March 24 update. If you disagree, of course, you are welcome to say so and continue the conversation in the blog comments.

By: JohnBobMead

JohnBobMead — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:19:47 +0000

It seems to me that what is being said in the article is that a) Japan has not requested aid, b) the organizations soliciting relief-related funding are “poised to act” but cannot act until invited in, so c) if you want to provide funds to assist Japan give to native Japanese institutions such as the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Those who question this article for not delimiting the needs of Japan in this situation, that isn’t the purpose of this article. What has been requested, and what is needed to meet that request is what they are analyzing. There may be cultural barriers to requesting assistance; then again, there may not be barriers to requesting assistance. They may be waiting to determine the true extent of the situation prior to asking for aid, not wanting to flood the area with more relief workers than can be properly utilized, or as it appears being more interested in specific types of workers than general funds.

The article lists means of giving which will get monies to Japan for assistance in this and other emergencies. The article makes recommendations for giving if you are interested in more general giving, non-Japan specific but enabling of assistance in other areas of need, their endorsement being based on being a good and worthy organization which is not waving the Japan flag for fundraising; reward them for their honesty.

Struck me as a good article.

By: M Nakano

M Nakano — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:43:04 +0000

Embassy of Japan and Consulate-Generals do ask for donation for Japan earthquake relief. Japan Red Cross makes their best effort to provide blankets, foods, drinks and other commodities to people in the most affected area. And they do ask for donations.

http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/j/anzen/jishin_message.html

It would make sense for us to help Japan recover and restore their economy as quickly as possible, so that they can resume their financial aid for other countries. Japan asks for help now, but hopefully not so long – until they start functioning again.

This country has offered over $100 million for Haiti relief up until last month. Japan’s ODA has been approx. $7 billion each year, depending on its economic status (setting aside the question of how properly it is used). Economic damage by this disaster is now said to be over $ 300 billion. Think about the impact of this to global economy and the resulting effects on our aid for Haiti and Africa. The question is how to most effectively circulate money to save more lives.

By: David Lundeen

David Lundeen — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:07:57 +0000

It *is* a cultural difference–Japan refused, but needed, outside help during the Kobe quake. The Japan Society of New York is working to change that this time around. Judge for yourself, but please reconsider some of the above advice: http://www.japansociety.org/earthquake

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/nyregion/15nyc.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=japan%20society&st=cse

By: andrew

andrew — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:32:02 +0000

This is an interesting article and was informative, but I think it doesn’t address two very critical components before coming to the conclusion that there is no room for donations.

1) As previous commenters have noted, there’s a huge cultural variable (pride, humility, optimism?) as to whether a country asks for help and is up front on how severe a situation is. A country like Haiti has been accustomed to foreign support unfortunately, as a developing country. Japan is accustomed to being self sufficient. But if you’ve followed this from the beginning, you should be able to see a clear pattern in terms of what info is said or offered versus how things actually turn out. How can we trust that suddenly the government is accurate and precise in predicting their needs, when everything else has proved to be much worse than originally expected or communicated?

2) There’s little actual math displayed in this article. Most experts say this is the worst EVER in terms of monetary destruction. What’s that number? What’s been pledged? What’s the financial health of the government to absorb those costs and deliver aid in a timely fashion?

Neglecting these points to make a recommendation that many will read to mean “Japan doesn’t need help” seems awfully reckless when a half a million people are without homes, with little food and heat.

That’s just my $.02.

By: Saliency

Saliency — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 05:39:12 +0000

I personally like
http://www.japansociety.org/earthquake

They take no administration overhead and will do their best to funnel the money to places it is needed. Warning though they have not chosen what sub organizations they will choose! They may make a bad choice. I trust them though.

By: Saliency

Saliency — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 05:36:01 +0000

If you don’t like the amarican red cross send to:

Name of Bank: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
　Name of Branch: Ginza
　Account No.: 8047670 (Ordinary Account)
　SWIFT Code: SMBC JP JT
　Payee Name: The Japanese Red Cross Society
　Payee Address: 1-1-3 Shiba-Daimon Minato-ku, Tokyo JAPAN

By: omar

omar — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 03:02:41 +0000

re the american red cross.. yeah i’m kind of not happy with them. i’m not sure they said this or living social said it but note the fine print on this site:

http://livingsocial.com/deals/32115

“On those rare occasions when donations exceed American Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters.”

By: Ross Moncrief

Ross Moncrief — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:39:49 +0000

I agree that their culture may inhibit requests for donations. I heard on NPR that the American Red Cross received around 50 million in donations for this effort but have given the Japanese Red Cross only 10 million. When I called a Red Cross rep. they stated they were a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator (which actually rates them as a 3-star) and could not answer my questions with regard to how much of the Japanese donations have been disbursed. I told them I would donate to another organization e.g., the search dog foundation.