Three crises for Japan
Harvard analysts worked to parse the rapidly unfolding cascade of crises roiling Japan on Wednesday (March 16), during a forum sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). They said that public trust in the relief efforts, logistical obstacles to aid, and foreign sensitivity to Japanese culture are all keys to an effective disaster response. The three main themes emerged during the discussion led by Jennifer Leaning, the François-Xavier Bagnoud Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at HSPH and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. First, they said, the Japanese government and the operators of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant damaged by the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami must improve efforts to give clear, consistent statements to the public, including accurate information on the levels of radiation released and possible health effects. Unfortunately, “the messaging that is coming out is difficult for the general public...