JRCS

NEWSLETTER

Issue No.12

ICRC NEWSLETTER- CONTENTS Column

1World Field News
* Libya* Interview on the Middle East and North Africa* Côte d'Ivoire

2

Feature : The Great East Japan Earthquake

4

Historical Relationship between Japan and ICRC

6

The 9th Asia - Pacific IHL Moot Court Competition

7

Updates from ICRC Tokyo* ICRC Tokyo's New Office* Overview of the ICRC's operations in 2011

8

By Yoshinobu Nagamine
Head of Office
Dear Readers,
In the face of disasters, we are all equal. Thisfeeling was shared by many in the aftermathof the unprecedented disaster caused by theearthquake and tsunami which struck Northeast
Japan on 11 March 2011. Who could remain
indifferent, faced with some 28,000 people
killed or missing and 46,000 houses destroyed?
Who could resist the urge to help to relieve theplight of the evacuees?
Assistance was organised in a professionaland swift manner. The Japanese Red Crossdispatched relief items drawn from thewarehouses of all chapters of the Society,and a total of more than 450 medical teams
assisted people in need. Until today, volunteers

NEWSLETTER

work tirelessly in evacuation centres amidst
continued support from the wider public in theform of donations, which have already reached
an unprecedented amount.
In the first few days of the chaos, hundredsof thousands sought to re-establish contact
with their family members in Japan as well as
overseas. Responding to this need, the ICRC,
together with the JRCS, launched a Family Links
website in several languages to help them tofind their loved ones as well as to serve as aplatform for their families and friends in othercountries to ascertain their wellbeing.
If the urge to help is a basic instinct, the samecan be said for avoiding unknown risks. The
leakage from the nuclear plant in Fukushimaraised many question marks about the levelof radiation as well as the accompanying
health risks. To many, radiation is an invisible
threat reminiscent of the nuclear accident in
Chernobyl. Drivers, aid workers and volunteers
preferred to bypass Fukushima although theevacuees in that areas were in the most direneed as they had to move several times todifferent evacuation centres.
The Red Cross was also stuck in this dilemma.
How much risk was the staff and volunteers
prepared to take to help others? Within ashort space of time, ICRC’s Nuclear, Radiation,
Biological and Chemical (NRBC) expert cameto Japan and worked together with the JRCS
on an effective radiation protection regime.
Permissible radiation levels were set andradiation focal points who could provide
proper briefings to the staff prior to any
deployment were identified. The ICRC also
provided dosimeters to those in the Red Cross

Movement which allowed for an assessment of
the cumulated dose of ionising radiation during
each mission.
Further, the ICRC team visited Fukushima city
to discuss with the relevant authorities and Red
Cross staff the measures being taken to monitor
radiation levels, screen people for exposure andif necessary, refer them for decontamination.
The NRBC expert found that the measures
were appropriate, the radiation risk could bequantified, and staff and residents felt reassured
enough to continue with their daily business.
It is understandable that the attention of the
public remains focused on the effects of thenuclear accident but at the same time one
should not lose sight of the human sufferingof the tsunami and earthquake. Fear of theunknown needs to be encountered by clear
information about risks and preventive
measures.
Last but not least, I would like to express myrespect to all those who have endured hardshipas a result of the disaster but who neverthelesswere prepared to help others. Indeed, humanity
is not a monopoly of the Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement but the most commonly
shared value amongst all.
Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture:Volunteers of the Japanese
Red Cross help evacuees to register their names andcontact details on the Familylinks website (9 April, 2011)

ICRC

Faya-Largeau, central Chad. Chadian nationals fleeing Libya, arrive by truck. The ICRC and the Chadian Red Cross are helping them to re-establish contact with their families.

World Field News

Field activities conducted out of 80 operations worldwide

Libya

Increased humanitarian response

The ICRC has now consolidated its presencein the west of Libya, where it plans to visit
detainees and help medical staff to cope with
war-wounded patients.
On 11 April, the ICRC received authorization toestablish a permanent presence in Tripoli, and ateam of four staff specializing in health matters,
detention-related activities and logistics arrived

in the Libyan capital soon after . An ICRC
presence will be maintained in Misrata andZawiyah, but it was considered important toexpand the scope of operations based on anassessment of needs.
The city of Misrata continues to be badly
affected. Early in the conflict, ICRC staff,
together with Libyan Red Crescent personnel,
toured the streets in Misrata to assess the needfor humanitarian aid. More than 6,500 stranded
foreign nationals were living in difficult
conditions in the vicinity of the Port in tents andInterviewAs unrest and violence continue to spread across the Middle East and North Africa, ICRC
Deputy Director of Operations outlines the challenges.

W H AT A R E T H E G R E AT E S T M E D I C A L
CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES IN THE WAKE
OF THE LATEST OUTBREAK OF UNREST?
In general, violence has resulted in many deaths
and vast numbers of injuries. The armed conflictin Libya has been raging for weeks now andcasualty figures there continue to mount,
while humanitarian access to some parts of thecountry remains restricted.
In other places, civil unrest has flared up against
the backdrop of an existing armed conflict, as in
Yemen, where a protracted – although largely

2

unreported – armed conflict is under way inthe north of the country. In Iraq, too, recent
demonstrations have resulted in casualties,
while hundreds of people continue to be killed
or injured every month by violence linked tothe ongoing armed conflict. When you add civil
unrest to an already precarious humanitariansituation in a country weakened by years ofarmed conflict, the result can be disastrous interms of the cost in human lives.
WHAT IS THE ICRC DOING TO ADDRESS THESE

under tarpaulins, waiting for boats to take themout of the city. "We don't want you to bring us
food, we don't want water, we don't want any
assistance, we just want to leave this place," said
one of them. ICRC staff also collected morethan 180 "safe and well" messages from foreign
nationals in Misrata and contacted their families
abroad, with the help of Libyan Red Crescentvolunteers, to give them news of their loved
ones.
As at the end of April, more than 2000 foreign
nationals had been evacuated by sea from theCHALLENGES?
In the wake of the recent civil unrest andviolence in North Africa and the Middle East,
we've been doing all we can to support first-aid
providers. This means working hand-in-hand
not only with the national Red Crescent or Red
Cross societies in the affected countries, butalso with health ministries, other government
authorities, and local organisations.
The ICRC maintains a good network of contacts
with all concerned, which enables us to assessneeds and respond effectively. Humanitarianorganisations must have safe access to those inneed.
All those taking part in the violence must
safeguard medical personnel, medical facilities
and any vehicles used as an ambulance.

Côte d'Ivoire

ICRC aircraft arrives with 12 tonnes of aid
supplies

The humanitarian situation in Côte d'Ivoire isworsening as fighting and looting continue.
An ICRC-chartered aircraft landed on 4 Aprilin the northern town of Man with nearly 12
tonnes of supplies to meet the most urgent
needs of people affected by the conflict.
"Starting today, the medicines and othermedical items will be distributed, mainly in
hospitals and health-care centres in the westof the country." said Dominique Liengme, whoheads the ICRC delegation in Côte d'Ivoire.
"Injured people are being taken to hospitalby volunteers of the Red Cross Society ofCôte d'Ivoire, or by whatever means they canorganize, but the hospitals are more and more
overwhelmed. Medical supplies are lacking, andhospital staff sometimes have to perform theirduties without running water or electricity."
Tens of thousands of men, women and children
who continue to flee the fighting have taken
refuge in makeshift reception centres in public

ON THE EGYPTIAN BORDER

Afghanistan

The ICRC continues to work with the Egyptian
Red Crescent Society, which is in charge ofdistributing the bulk of the food and waterprovided for those stranded along the border.

The ICRC strongly condemns the use ofan ambulance – intended for transporting
wounded and sick persons – in a suicide
attack that took place in the beginning ofApril at an Afghan National Police regional
training centre on the outskirts of Kandaharcity, southern Afghanistan.

Since the onset of the crisis, the ICRC has
enabled 1,600 people on the Egyptian border tocall their families. In addition, the ICRC has been
helping thousands of people who are neither
Egyptian nor Libyan, and without valid travel
documents to obtain the papers needed to be
repatriated.

buildings. They lack food and drinking water,
and the sick need to be cared for. Also on
board the ICRC aircraft were nearly one and ahalf tonnes of pipes, pumps, and other items
needed to upgrade water supply systems.

Aid for injured anddisplaced people in Abidjan

The civilian population in Abidjan has been hard
hit by the effects of the fighting that has takenplace during the last few hours. People living inseveral neighbourhoods have been forced tocope with shortages of water and electricity, as
well as with exhausted food stocks. Those who
are wounded have to remain in their homes, as
there is no way to evacuate them. Furthermore,
the lack of security makes it very difficultfor humanitarian workers and emergency
personnel to carry out their work.

Georgia
The ICR C dis tr ibute s humani t ar ian
assistance to people living high in themountains of Georgia, in the picturesquebut isolated Kodori Valley, which most of
the population fled during the conflictof 2008. Under the auspices of the ICRC,
the mortal remains of a person who went
missing in connection with the August
2008 hostilities were exhumed on 12 April
in Tskhinvali/Tskhinval.

Syria
Acting in its role of neutral intermediary,
the ICRC transports apples grown by Syrian
farmers in the occupied Golan into Syria
proper via the Kuneitra crossing. Some
12,000 tonnes of apples are being shipped
regularly, en route to local, regional andinternational markets. The apple operation
allows families in the Golan to maintain links
with their friends and relatives elsewhere
in Syria, as well as increase the farmers’
revenue.

"We again call on all weapon bearers to
respect and protect civilians, and to facilitate
humanitarian work," said Ms Liengme. In
recent days, Ivorian Red Cross volunteers havelooked after and evacuated injured people in
the Cocody neighbourhood in very difficult
circumstances.

I.Malla / ICRC

VISITING DETAINEESIn March, the ICRC visited more than 150
detainees in four places of detention in
Benghazi. ICRC staff contacted families indifferent parts of the country to inform them
about the whereabouts of their detained
relatives and conveyed "safe and well"messages. Clothes and hygiene kits were also

distributed to around 90 detainees.

The ICRC coordinates with UNDOF to facilitate themovement of people, documents and apples acrossthe demarcation line.

Somalia
Eleven shells that hit Medina Hospital in
Mogadishu without exploding for threedays from 12 April have been retrieved andstored, waiting for a bomb disposal unit toneutralize them.

Colombia

C.Peglan / ICRC

port of Misrata by the ICRC, with support fromthe Libyan Red Crescent. The operation was
coordinated with the International Organization
for Migration, which organised the transfer ofthe evacuees to their respective countries. Mostof those evacuated were Sudanese, Chadian,
Egyptian and Moroccan nationals.

Over 180,000 people affected by armed
conflict and other forms of violence inColombia received direct assistance fromthe ICRC in 2010. Thousands of people inrural and urban areas of Colombia faced
displacement, threats, murder, uncertainty
about the fate of missing relatives, and lackof access to basic services.

A water hole being repaired at Duékoué
3

Feature : The Red Cross responseto the Great East Japan Earthquake
The quiet strength of the Japanese Red Cross
After the great earthquake of March 11, theJapanese Red Cross immediately sent a rescue
team to the stricken areas. Tadateru Konoe,
President of both the Japanese Red Cross
Society and the International Federation of
the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies(IFRC), also went to the disaster area as soon
as he could. Having mobilised the forces andresources available via the network of Red
Cross chapters throughout Japan, the numberof rescue teams sent by the Japanese Red
Cross from the day of the disaster to the 22ndof March amounted to 629. Of them, 23 arecurrently considered active, in the prefecturesof Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima. These rescue
teams are normally composed of six people:
one doctor, three nurses, one clerical worker
and one driver.

by being displaced but also to cope with themental and emotional needs of the Red Cross
staff and rescue teams themselves.
Relief supplies are also being sent in great
quantities to the stricken areas. When thedisaster occurred, blankets were considered
to be the most dire necessity. As of April 13,
132,510 blankets have been distributed to thesix affected prefectures. In addition, 29,482
emergency sets containing a portable radio,a flashlight and bandages, as well as 12,500
sleeping sets containing a camping mat, apillow, earplugs and an eye-mask, were also
distributed. The delivery of domestic appliances
to temporar y houses, such as washingmachines, refrigerators, televisions, rice cookers
and microwaves, has also started. Donations toa further 70,000 households are expected in thenear future.

JRCS

Many temporary toilets were not equipped withproper places to wash hands, raising concernsof the possible spread of illnesses and diarrhea.
On April 14, water supply equipment was
installed in nine different areas in the disasteraffected zone; with the installation of this watersupply equipment, hygiene has drastically
improved in the evacuation areas.

JRC President Konoe visiting a dERU in Miyagi. (13 March, 2011)

Staff members trained in psychosocial support
are sometimes included in these teams, making
it possible to deal with both the physical andthe psychological needs of the victims. A centre
for psychosocial care was also opened in the
Red Cross hospital in Ishinomaki city, Miyagi
prefecture, as well as in Iwate chapter. The
centre's aim is not only to alleviate the victims'
psychological trauma and the stress caused

In times of disaster, the energy of volunteers is
indispensable. Red Cross volunteers, registeredin each chapter, represent a work force of morethan 38,000 people as of April 18, active in the
distribution of emergency food, support toonsite rescue teams, and fund-raising. Morethan 10,000 Red Cross Youth members, fromelementary school to high school, are included
among the volunteers.

Contributions to the Japanese Red Cross
As of April 20, contributions amounting to JPY

Kozuchi shrine, used as an evacuation centre. In spite of tsunami having
their fire fighting. (25 March, 2011)

143,517,221,315, had been received by theJapanese Red Cross. The Grant Disbursement
Committee established on April 8, agreed thatthe money would be allocated to each of theaffected prefectures according to the amountof money they have requested. Local Grant
Disbursement Committees in each prefecture
will then distribute the money to the local
households.

Crisis assessment and communication
Starting with an earthquake and a tsunami, anddeveloping into a nuclear incident soon after,
this was an unprecedented crisis. Immediately
after the earthquake, inquiries to the Japanese
Red Cross from domestic as well as international
media were constantly received. JRC president
K o n o e w a s a c c o mp ani e d b y t h e IF R C
communication delegate on an assessment visit
to the affected areas. The IFRC worked from thepremises of the Japanese Red Cross for a long
period in order to transmit to the world thereality of the disaster.

ICRC

Television reporters from all over the world
also came in large numbers to Japan. Just after
the earthquake, as traffic on highways leading
to Tohoku was permitted only to emergency
vehicles and because of a lack of gasoline,
there were many requests from reporters toaccompany the Japanese Red Cross

The Otsuchi station board found in the city centre where is far from the station. (25 March, 2011)4

By late March, the communication staff fromthe Japanese Red Cross, the IFRC and the ICRC
arrived at the affected areas and sometimes
together with a European media team, visited
evacuation areas and hospitals. These visitsbegan in Iwate prefecture, and from the city ofregistrations from Japanese nationals.

ICRC

For 10 days from April 6th, a Japanese Red Cross
staff member and two Red Cross volunteers,
after having been trained by the ICRC in
March, traveled to the affected areas in order
to conduct research on missing persons. The
team decided to visited evacuation centres
in Ishinomak i and Higashi-Matsushima,
Miyagi prefecture. With the help of two local
volunteers, the five-member team focused on
encouraging people living in the evacuation
centres to register on the Family Links website,
and researching information concerning
missing people using the internet. The actual
need for research reported was rather low,
and the whereabouts of close relatives wereusually known already thanks to the restorationof phone lines, cell phone service, or throughsimple word of mouth.

g come up to the 4th step of the stairs, and the fire come from a mountain in the back, the evacuees were miraculously safe thanks to

Miyako, they headed South along the coast andvisited Yamada, Otsuchi, Kamaishi, and Ofuna,
before arriving in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture,
where the communication team visited a Red
Cross hospital. In all of these places, the teamwitnessed scenes so ghastly that the Japanese
officers could hardly believe it really happened
to Japan. However, everyone in the teamencountered had remained strong and humble,
saying that they were not the only ones tosuffer. The consensus of the team was that "wewere the ones who felt strengthened when wesaw these people being so supportive to one
another".

"A strong sense of human dignity"
Foreign reporters and the IFRC communicationdelegate said that they were deeply moved by
the stoicism of the Japanese, their courtesy,
and their thoughtfulness. A foreign journalist
reporting on the affected areas said, "I felt astrong sense of dignity in the Japanese." The
respect of "dignity" is central to the activities of
the Red Cross.
A boy shyly proclaims that his dream is to
succeed his father, who works in a local Shinto
shrine. A middle-aged man, while taking careof the evacuees, leaves early in the morning
for road repair works, and upon finishing workin the evening, looks for lost relatives along
the coast and in places where the bodies ofthe victims are laid out. A doctor working at
the Ishinomaki hospital deals with emergency
patients and responds with a smile to requests
for an interview from the media. While at thesame time thinking about what they will haveto do in the future, it seems like everyone in

the disaster-affected areas were driven by thewish to do something for others. "Japan will
overcome this crisis for sure": this is what mostforeign reporters said before leaving Japan,
having finished their report on the affectedareas.

What kind of contribution can
the ICRC make in times of such crisis?
The ICRC mainly provides humanitarianassistance in armed conflict and other situationsof violence. In case of natural disaster, in acountry where the ICRC is present, we support
the Red Cross or the Red Crescent Society ofthat country. Thus, just after the earthquake,the ICRC office in Tokyo quickly tried to grasp
what the needs were and how to support its
partner, taking into view the experience andprofessionalism of the Society in dealing withnatural disasters.
Following consultation with both the Japanese
government and the Japanese Red Cross, it
was agreed that the ICRC would give support in
Restoring Family Links (RFL) and NRBC. On the
day following the earthquake, an international
Familylinks website (www.icrc.org/familylinks)
was set up by the ICRC to offer a free platform
for people to inform others in the country andabroad of their safety, as well as to inquireon the whereabouts of missing friends orrelatives in Japan. The website is not limited
to Japanese and English, but is also in Korean,Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish for the useof foreigners living in Japan. CNN International
broadcast spot announcements for the website
all over the world. As of April 21, there were
5,955 registrations, which included 1,791

Meanwhile, activities related to the field of
NRBC continued, with the ICRC monitoring thesituation at the Fukushima First Power Plant andacting as a form of support for the Japanese Red
Cross. In order for Red Cross staff to accomplish
their task safely in the affected areas, the ICRC
gave preliminary explanations on the use of
dosimeters and about permissable exposure
to radiation. In relation to the communication
team's mission mentioned above, as the initialidea was to travel into Fukushima, dosimeters
were distributed to all the staff members
who would have been involved, with therequirement that they should report to the
NRBC delegate every day. However in midApril, the NBRC delegate went to Fukushimahimself and had discussions with the prefectural
disaster polic y headquar ters, the local
authorities and Japanese Red Cross prefectural
office. Briefings were done on how to conduct
radiation monitoring, exposure screening, andnuclear decontamination. Fully grasping therisks of exposure, the NRBC delegate made surethat proper measures were taken in order toensure the safety of the inhabitants, as well as
local Red Cross staff.
With relatively large aftershocks still occurring
even one month after the earthquake, the Red
Cross is continuing its humanitarian response
initiatives. Upon arrival in the affected areas,
many people have said that they feel reassured
upon seeing the Red Cross emblem. Some
express words of gratitude or appreciation,others openly speak out about their anxiety or
distress to the staff. The Red Cross will continue
to listen to the needs of beneficiaries, and stay
beside them for as long as is necessary.
The role played by the Japanese Red Cross, theIFRC and the ICRC in the response to the Great
East Japan Earthquake only confirms the valueof the Red Cross Movement in keeping relief
efforts alive for people in need, and its standing
as the oldest and most trusted humanitarian aid
network in the world.
5Historical Relationship between Japan and the ICRC
A new historical series about Japan-ICRC relationship

Katharina Sturzenegger:
Henry Dunant's special envoy
Henry Dunant is well known as the founder of
the ICRC, but did you know he was also closely
linked to Japan thanks to a journalist?
When the Russo-Japanese war broke out in
1904, Dunant was living in a retirement home
in Heiden, Switzerland, and was looking forsomeone to spread Red Cross principles
to Japan in his stead. By chance, Dunant's
journalist friend Katharina Sturzenegger visited
him during this period, and decided to go to
Japan keeping in mind Dunant's ideal of "goingto all the corners of the world to carry out the
Red Cross' activities." She had two main goals: tofind out how Red Cross' principles had spread toa faraway country like Japan, and to report her
findings in detail to Dunant. She also felt very
inspired by Florence Nightingale, and wanted tohelp the wounded on the frontlines.

Having fulfilled her wish to meet Dunant again,
she put her pen to paper, this time writing
about the activity of the Serbian Red Cross
during the 1912 Balkanic Wars, and about
the life of Henry Dunant. She also gave many
lectures and had a very fulfilling life. Katharina
was buried in Zurich, in the same cemetery as
Henry Dunant.

The Empress Shoken Fund

The Empress Shoken Fund for peacetime
activities promotes the ideal of 'not only caring
for soldiers in wartime, but also contributing
to the happiness of humanity in peace time.'
Management of the Fund is the responsibility ofa joint committee of the ICRC and the IFRC, andits distribution is decided every year on April 11,
the anniversary of Empress Shoken's death.

A Fund for peacetime activities was createdin 1912, thanks to an Imperial donation of 100
000 yen (worth about CHF1,455,000 at thepresent time) granted by the Japanese Empress
Shoken on the occasion of the 9th Red Cross
International Conference in Washington. Basedon the proposal of the then-ICRC President
Gustave Ador, it was decided that the Fundwould be named after the Empress herself.

2012 will be the hundredth year anniversaryof the creation of the Fund. Since the first
distribution in 1921 to the 88th time in 2009,
CHF 12,116,926 have been allocated to theFund, used mainly in the fields of disasterprevention, sanitation, and blood transfusion, as
well as support towards activities carried out by
Red Cross Youth volunteers.

The Florence Nightingale medal

1863 E stablishment of the International Committee forRelief to the Wounded

JRCS

When she finally set foot in Japan however,Katharina found out that the Swiss and theJapanese Red Cross had completely different
ways of caring for the wounded. In Japan, it
was impossible for women to attend to thewounded on the battlefield.
As a result of this, Katharina decided to put
all her efforts into collecting information sothat she could report what was going on to
Dunant. By visiting military hospitals, speaking
to the wounded, attending operations, andvolunteering in several activities, she learnt
more and more about the Japanese Red Cross.
Not only her dedicated efforts were featured
in a Japanese Red Cross journal, based onher own experience; she also wrote a bookcalled "By the Side of the Wounded in TokyoMemories of the Russo-Japanese War", which
was awarded a Japanese Red Cross medal.
After four years in Japan, Katharina returned to
Switzerland in 1908, bringing back with her ahuge amount of detail.

The creation of the Florence Nightingale
Medal, in order to reward nurses who havemade remarkable contributions to humanity
throughout the world, was officially decided
during the 8th and 9th Red Cross International
Conferences, in 1907 and 1912. The names of
the awarded nurses are announced every otheryear on May 12, Nightingale's birthday. The first
ceremony was carried out in 1920, in which
the Medal was awarded to three Japanese Red
Cross nurses: Take Ogihara, Yaho Yamamoto,and Ume Yuasa. Through 2009, 101 nurses inJapan have received the Medal.

The Empress had granted an audience to
the Japanese Red Cross Vice President Takeo
Ozawa during the 8th Red Cross International
Conference, and asked what kind of support
monarchs throughout Europe gave the Red
Cross. When Ozawa replied that Empress
Augusta of Germany and Empress Maria
Feodorvna of Russia had created a special fund,

Reference"Nisseki Dousou no Kai Dayori" Vol. 82 Nov 1, 2010
"Nisseki Tokyo" Feb 1, 2009
"Sekijuji150 Nen no Ayumi" ICRC
"Jindo sono Ayumi" JRCS, 1979
"Yoyogi" Vol. 33, Mar, 1994
"Yoyogi" Spring Edition, 2010
"Nippon Sekijujisha Souritsu 125 Shunen Kinenshi" JRCS, 2002
"Nippon Sekijujisha Souritsu 130 Shunen Kinenshi" JRCS, 2007
"Hakuai no Michi Eien naru Ayumi Florence Nightingale
Kisho ni Kagayaku Hitobito Dai 1kai kara Dai 40kai"
Zaidanhoujin Nippon Sekijuji Kango Dohoukai
ICRC HP, JRC HP

1877 t he battles of the Southwestern Rebellion

1939 World War 2

Empress Shoken

Establishment of Philanthropic Society

1864 Signing on the First Geneva Convention

1886 S igning of the Secomd Geneva Convention

1867 The first Red Cross International Conference Paris

1887 Renamed JRCS Joined in ICRC

1941 the Pacific War
1942 E stablishment of representative office of ICRC in
Japan

World Expo

1894 Japanese-Sino War

1871 Iwakura Mission

1904 Japanese-Russo War

1873 V ienna World Expo Meeting of Iwakura Mission

1914 World War 1

1949 Establishment of Four Geneva Conventions

and Moynier, the Chairman of the International

1919 Establishment of IFRC

1953 Accedence of Japan to four Geneva Conventions

Committee for Relief to the Wounded.

1920 Three JRCS nurses receive prized Nightingale

1977 Establishment of two Protocols

1876 R enamed the International Committee of Red
Cross

Medal
1931 Manchurian Incident
1937 Sino-Japanese War

6

Empress Shoken is said to have responded:"That is quite good."

1945 A tomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki War’send2004 Accedence of Japan to two Protocols
2009 Establishment of Japan Office of ICRCThe 9th Asia - Pacific IHL Moot Court Competition

C. Chu / ICRC

Council. Students from three universities -Chuo
University, Doshisha University, and Kyoto
University- took part. The National Round inJapan dealt with international armed conflict
between two fractious neighbouring countries,
Arkadia and Stovia. The outbreak of this conflict
caused military intervention in the Arkadian cityof Luga near its joint border with Stovia. As thewinner, Kyoto University represented Japan at
the annual Regional Moot Court Competition in
Hong Kong.

The National University of Singapore presents their case in front of the moot court judges.

Essentially a competition that presents afictitious problem, it aims to raise awareness ofinternational humanitarian issues among law
students through examination and debate ofwider social issues through role play.

atrocious the activity, a fair trial is an absolutenecessity for those who are accused."
The IHL Moot Competition was co-organisedby the Youth and Volunteers Departmentof the Hong Kong Red Cross and the ICRC.
Participating law students debated about
whether certain acts violated the Law of War
from a multidimensional standpoint, andcommunicated with other like-minded students.

"In addition to the Moot Court, the ICRCTokyo Office will continue to explore how
to cooperate with universities and othereducational institutions, for example, toorganise intensive courses on IHL. As anorganiser of the IHL Moot Court, we, ICRC, haveto do more efforts to achieve our purpose", said
Mr. Daisuke Shibasaki.

National Round in TOKYOA National Round took place in Japan for the
first time on 11 December, 2010. The event,
held in Tokyo, was jointly organised by the ICRC
and the International Law Student Exchange

Participants are divided into two opposing
teams, namely the applicant team and the
respondent team. During these competitions,students are expected to demonstrate theirunderstanding of the law in practice, fromthe combat zone to the courtroom. After the
final round, Victoria University of Wellington,
New Zealand, was named as the winner, with
Hidayatullah National Law University of Raipur,
India receiving the unner-up prize.

How did you become interested in IHL andthe moot court competition?
I am interested in IHL because I am concerned
about the security and peace of Japan, not tomention other countries such as North Korea
and China.

Delivering an address at the Prize Presentation
Ceremony, the Honourable Chief Justice ofHong Kong Geoffrey Ma Tao-li emphasised theimportance of a sense of justice, commentingthat however extreme the circumstances, it isalways worth the effort. He remarked that thetheme of this Moot problem is justice itself, andspecifically, the concept of a fair trial and what
it entails. "However serious the charge, however

How did you feel while presenting your caseduring the competition in Hong Kong?
I felt nervous, and quite overwhelmed by
the performances of the students from all
the different countries. Their English was sosmooth, and they displayed much confidence
and persuasiveness. Nevertheless I was happy
to be able to participate in this event, because
it allowed me to talk with students from many

ICRC

On 3-5, March 2011, the 9th Asia and thePacific Red Cross International Humanitarian
Law (IHL) Moot Court competition took
place in Hong Kong. Students from 20
universities in the Asia-Pacific region stoodunder the spotlight of the courtroom toparticipate. Kyoto University, as the winnerof the Japanese National Round of IHL Moot
Court competition in December last year,
represented Japan.

This time, only three universities applied for theCompetition, but the ICRC hopes that many
more universities will participate in the next
one. However, it will be necessary for them toimprove their communication skills, especiallythose related to presentation and speaking in
English.

National Round Moot Court Competition in Tokyo, December 2010

After the Competition - The voice of a Kyoto University student
different countries - an opportunity which does
not come along often. The other students also
had an influence on me by telling me about
their hopes towards their future careers, which I
found were quite different from mine.
Do you think how these experiences will help
you with your goals and plans in the future?
Using the rest of the world as our barometer.
I realised that we Japanese must study harderand improve our abilities to keep up. The judges
were very kind to us, giving us advice on how
to present and improve our English. I hope that
someday in the future, I will be able to partnerwith leaders from around the world, and work
together towards building a better world.

7

Updates
From
ICRC TokyoNISSEI
Toranomon
BLDG.

Kamiyacho
post office

TOKYUREITO
Toranomon BLDG.

Sa
ku
ra
da

St
re
et

McDonald’s

Jonathan’s

ICRC Tokyo's
New Office

Toranomon
45MT Bldg
Kamiyacho
MT Bldg.

Kamiyacho
Sta.

●Royal Host

ICRC Tokyo Office
5-13-1, Toranomon 40MT Bldg. 6F
Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel:03-6459-0750

Line

On 11 April, 2011, the ICRC Tokyo Office moved
to Kamiyacho area, where the governmental
offices are close by. With adding a new staff to
our Communication Unit, we expand not only
the working space but the function.

Toranomon
40MT Bldg.

iya

ACCESS

Seven Eleven

To

ky

o

M

et

ro

Hi
b

Kamiyacho Station/Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
Walk toward EXIT3 but ignore the exit.
Go through the shoping area in thebasement and take a lift to 6F

Overview of the ICRC's operations in 2011

It has been two years since the ICRC opened the Tokyo office. Since then, Japan's contribution and support in terms of finance andmanpower to the ICRC has been gradually, but significantly increasing.
Figure1 The 10 biggest operations
RANK

DELEGATIONS 2011INITIAL BUDGET
2011(in CHF million)

1

Afghanistan

89.4

2

Iraq

85.8

3

Sudan

82.8

4

Pakistan

82.4

5Israel and the Occupied Territories

64.8

6

the Democratic Republic of the Congo

63.1

7

Somalia

53.0

8

Yemen

48.8

9

Colombia

40.9

10

Niamey regional

29.3

TOTAL

640.3

The ICRC's humanitarian operations can befound in 80 countries, and are primarily fundedby contributions from the various state parties
to the Geneva Convention. Contributions
by governments (including the European
Commission) exceed 90% in total, of which
Japan is counted as one of the major donors.
To date, the ICRC has received approx. CHF 44.5
million from Japan for its operation in 2011. As
the biggest donor in Asia, Japan will host the

ICRC Tokyo Office
Toranomon40MT Bldg. 6F, 5-13-1 Toranomon
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 Japan
TEL : +81(0)3-6459-0750 / FAX : +81(0)3-6459-0751
Website : http://www.jrc.or.jp/ICRC/

Donor Support Group Meeting in 2012, taking
place for the first time in Asia.

More Japanese nationals becoming
ICRC delegates
The ICRC delegate is the one who plays acentral role by acting as the interface between
the different specialists in order to carry out ourhumanitarian mandate mostly in armed conflictareas. In the summer of 2010, ICRC launched
the "Japanese delegate" campaign, dropping
the prerequisite for French language skills. Asof 22 April, seven Japanese nationals wererecruited; four assigned to different delegations
in Bangkok, Nablus, Hebron and Harare; andthree awaiting training course enrolment. ICRCTokyo will proactively continue the recruitment
of Japanese nationals.

ICRC

An initial appeal is CHF 1,046.9 million to cover
ICRC field activities in 2011, which is the largest
initial budget presented by the ICRC. The
objectives and corresponding budget for 2011
are the result of several factors, including:*a consolidated or more in-depth response
in certain armed conflicts;*a strong presence and response in the maincontexts affected by the interplay of local
issues and wider-reaching concerns relating
to the fight against “terrorism”;*a continued response to the needs ofthose affected by widespread conflict andviolence in contexts where the State may belacking;*a greater presence and response in othersituations of violence, including situationsof State repression, inter-communal strife
or violence in urban settings;* t he explicit inclusion of responses in earlyrecovery phases
Please see Figure 1 for the 10 largest operations.

A newly-joined Japanese ICRC delegate participating in the emergency flood operation(Sabayoi district, Thailand, 11 November, 2010)