John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The magnitude 8.9 Tohoku earthquake near the north-east coast of Honshu, Japan, shocked the world on 11 March this year. An event described by geologists as thrust faulting occurred near the subduction zone, which is the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates. At the particular latitude of this earthquake, the Pacific plate shifts westward towards the North American plate at approximately 83 millimetres per year, descending beneath Japan at the Japan Trench as the two plates overlap. Yet, whilst this is a seemingly fractional movement of tectonic plates, we watched in horror as it led to a tsunami that devastated countless villages and left absolute destruction in its wake.

As of 12.30 this morning, Japanese authorities have listed a death toll of 8,649 people, with the sheer size of this tragedy evident in the fact that officials are now forced to bury unidentified bodies. There are still 13,261 people listed as missing, with another 2,929 reported as injured. With many coastal locations in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures still awaiting full investigation, it is envisaged that these numbers will only increase before the final death toll is known. These are massive numbers, in local terms roughly equating to the population of a city the size of Coffs Harbour.

The north-eastern coastline of Japan is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunami waves due to its proximity to the plate boundaries and the underwater coastal structures that amplify tsunami waves. Since 1973, the Japan Trench has witnessed nine earthquake events of magnitude 7 or greater. The largest of these was a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in December 1994, approximately 260 kilometres north of the recent location. This one caused three fatalities and almost 700 injuries. In June 1978, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake 35 kilometres to the south-west caused 22 fatalities and over 400 injuries. There is evidence that large offshore earthquakes occurred in the same region in the years 1611, 1896 and 1933, each of which produced devastating tsunami waves that hit the Sanriku coast of north-east Japan. The magnitude 7.6 earthquake of 1896 is said to have led to a tsunami wave 38 metres high and a death toll of 27,000. The magnitude 8.6 earthquake of 2 March 1933 produced tsunami waves 29 metres high and led to more than 3,000 fatalities. We even have records of an earthquake in the year 869 which saw the entire Sendai area swept away by a massive tsunami. We are also reminded of this record of earthquakes and tsunamis in the world of art. Many would be familiar with the classic Japanese woodblock piece entitled The Great Wave off Kanagawa, which dates back to the 1830s and shows a huge tsunami wave dwarfing the distant Mount Fuji.

The point of this short run through the history books is that these events, whilst devastating and tragic in so many ways, are far from new to this area or to these stoic people. The American Geological Survey has stated over the past few days:

While the probability of future large earthquakes far from northern Honshu has not increased, neither has it decreased and large earthquakes will continue to occur just as we have observed in the past.

The global response to this catastrophe, from a policy perspective, must retain this understanding and not fall into the trap of thinking that this is a problem of our making and that we as humans have the ability to concoct a resolution. The global response at this moment must be limited to aid and assistance to the hundreds of thousands of people directly impacted by this disaster. We mourn, we grieve and we give our wholehearted support to the Japanese people. We give aid and we give assistance with the rebuilding effort.

Our diplomatic, political and trading relationships will grow stronger in the days, weeks and months to come as we share this hardship. The Japanese people, much like the victims of our own summer of natural disasters, will call on the stuff of which they are made—the stuff that has made them heroes in the face of fire. Now their heroism is demonstrated in the face of this fire.

It is outside of the living memory of all but a few Australians that our diplomatic relationship with Japan used to be somewhat different, and the Japanese soldier was feared for his tenacity and discipline. Underlying this fear was our deep respect for the Japanese willingness to offer absolute self-sacrifice in the name of their nation and Emperor. The Japanese have a history of selflessness dating back a thousand years, from stories of ritual suicide by the bushido warriors of the samurai through to the kamikaze pilots of World War II. While we are now able to look on those stories as purely historical and we can celebrate the strength of friendship between our two nations, these national characteristics have been on display through the heroic efforts of the firefighters from Tokyo’s 3rd District who have faced intense radiation levels as they have attempted to douse the reactor fires. It is these values of selflessness, this integrity, which will guide the Japanese people through this most difficult time.

It has often been said that war provides the ultimate test of the mettle of mankind. In the same way, natural disasters like this stress the necessary physical infrastructure—the transport and communication networks and the power grid. As a result of this natural disaster, the nuclear industry is now being tested like never before. The leadership they have shown on this issue, the technical and innovative genius is indicative of the role they may well play in finding real solutions to carbon pollution and global warming through the improved technologies and safer practices that will no doubt be utilised by their nuclear industry in the wave of this tragedy. The problems that we have all witnessed at the Fukushima nuclear power plant are not something to be used as a political football but an experience to be analysed and learnt from as both process improvements and real alternatives are proposed and assessed. It would be typical of the Japanese spirit that out of the rubble of this disaster should spring forth a renewed confidence, as this difficult circumstance allows them to discover some of the answers to our global plight.

Both in politics and in sport the true champion learns from defeat and setback to return stronger and reclaim the title. The Japanese people are stoic, heroic and strong. Japan is geographically a small country that is economically a global superpower. Their greatness is coupled with the friends they have earned and relationships they have developed. In building these relationships they have displayed a character focussed on hard work and an integrity in their dealings with all people that now brings the world to their door in this hour of need.

Japan has heroically risen from the ashes of war to lead the world in economic development, technological advancement and prosperity, while maintaining its unique traditions and culture. It is inappropriate at this time for some to seek to discredit, mostly through inaccuracy, the path that Japan has chosen to take in the provision of energy to its thriving industries and the world’s 10th largest population. If through this extraordinary event that Japan has recently suffered there are shortcomings discovered in their nuclear power plants, there is no question that the world will watch with great interest as the might of Japanese ingenuity is applied to this situation. The results that will surely follow will benefit the world at large in its quest to address the challenges of climate change and carbon dioxide emissions. The brainpower and national character that will rise to the surface during this tough time means all mankind will reap benefits as the use of nuclear power is made safer for all. This may be a long-term view, as there is much work to be done and many lessons to be learnt along the way, but it is a perspective that we should maintain nonetheless.

There is no doubt that the recent Japanese disaster is a tragedy of epic proportions. It is our duty to offer our support through whatever method the Japanese people require. We must also be cognisant of the proud and resilient nature of the Japanese character, and the importance of respecting their need for space during this period of national mourning. Assistance will flow, and, once this strong and gracious nation has had the time to bury its dead and to grieve, it can then assess the scope of the situation. When the time comes, the rebuilding process will begin on a large scale. It is at this time, when this disaster is no longer dominating global attention, that we must ensure we are there, standing side by side with our friend, assisting them to become an even greater nation and once again a champion on the world stage. On behalf of the people of Bennelong and as a representative of the Australian parliament I send my deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolence to the proud nation and strong people of Japan. We feel her pain. We mourn her loss. We give our respect. We offer our support. We are her neighbour and we are her friend.

See this speech in context