While hundreds of billions of yen have been donated for victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, central and local government authorities have not been able to distribute the badly needed cash to those in need as the regions affected by the tremor and tsunami are so huge that it is difficult to come to grips with the full extent of the damage.
The Japanese Red Cross Society and other organizations say they will form "relief money distribution committees" to decide on the criteria and methods of distribution as well as ways of informing the victims in order to distribute the money in a fair manner. The Japanese Red Cross Society had received about 98 billion yen in cash donations as of April 2, more than the cumulative amount of donations received over six months for the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake. The Central Community Chest of Japan, known for its Red Feather Community Chest Movement, had received a total of about 18 billion yen as of April 1.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said at a news conference on April 5, "We have been proceeding with the task rather quickly. I believe we will be able to move to a stage where operations can be started at prefectural level in the not too distant future." The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said it would set up a study panel to present a draft proposal on methods to distribute the relief funds. But it is unlikely that prefectural governments will be able to distribute the money so easily.
Apart from cash donations received at government level, the Iwate Prefectural Government had received about 3.02 billion yen as of the end of March. The local government worked out an outline for forming a distribution committee, but it could not move ahead any further. "If we distribute the money unsystematically at a stage where a national system is not in place, it will only put a burden on municipalities," said an Iwate Prefectural Government official. "Rikuzentakata and Otsuchi suffered devastating damage and unless administrative functions are restored, the funds will only become a source of trouble," the official added.
The Miyagi Prefectural Government had received a total of about 5.5 billion yen as of the end of March. When the Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake hit the region in 2008, the Miyagi Prefectural Government received about 1.2 billion yen in donations and distributed the first portion of the cash three months after the quake. "The damage is so grave this time that we cannot set up a distribution committee unless the number of people dead or missing is confirmed," said a Miyagi Prefectural Government official.
On the other hand, the Fukushima Prefectural Government set up a distribution committee on April 1 and decided to hand out 50,000 yen each to households affected by the earthquake and tsunami. "Victims had requested the relief money be distributed as soon as possible," said a Fukushima Prefectural Government official. About 65,000 households whose homes were partially or completely destroyed by the earthquake or the tsunami as well as those households that are located within a radius of 30 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant are entitled to receive the money. The cash donations of 3.32 billion yen received as of April 1 will be distributed to affected households through municipalities.
Nevertheless problems continue. Local governments near the troubled nuclear power plant have moved their administrative functions to other areas and the whereabouts of many residents who were evacuated to areas outside of the prefecture remain unknown. Prefectural government officials in Fukushima say the cash will likely be distributed to victims sometime after next month.
On those evacuees who lived outside the 30-kilometer radius from the nuclear complex, one official said, "We have to draw a line somewhere and only those in the area designated by the national government are subject to the distribution program this time. We will discuss whether to include those evacuees outside the designated zone when we distribute the money next time."
One major question is how much relief money will be distributed to victims. In the case of the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, a total of 179.3 billion yen was donated. According to the Hyogo Prefectural Government, 100,000 yen each was initially distributed two weeks after the earthquake as "condolence money" to those households whose family members died or were missing and those whose homes were partially or completely destroyed. In the second round carried out about five months after the earthquake, 300,000 yen each was given to those families that were in need of support such as fatherless families, and 1 million yen was given to each earthquake orphan for their education.
But "because the number of victims was so large, the average allowance amount was about 400,000 yen per household," said a Hyogo Prefectural Government official. Although cash donations received for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake outnumber the amount for the victims of the Great Hanshin earthquake, the number of people and homes affected by the Tohoku quake is also far greater that that for the tremor in Kobe. Therefore, it is not clear whether victims will receive enough money.
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) April 6, 2011
東日本大震災：宙に浮く義援金…進まぬ配分作業
朝の炊き出しを受け取る人たち。義援金を受け取れる時期の見通しは立っていない＝岩手県釜石市で２０１１年３月２３日、佐々木順一撮影
◇被害が広範囲、全容把握ままならず
日赤などによると、義援金は被災者に公平に配分するため、被災した地方自治体や日赤などで「義援金配分委員会」を設置し、配分基準や方法、被災者への伝達方法などを定める。日赤に届いた義援金は２日現在で約９８０億円に達し、阪神大震災後の半年間で集まった額を既に上回っている。「赤い羽根共同募金」で知られる中央共同募金会にも、１日現在で約１８０億円が集まっている。
枝野幸男官房長官は５日の会見で「（配分へ向け）かなり早急に作業を進めている。そんなに遠くなく、各都道府県レベルで作業を進めてもらえる段階に持っていけると思う」と述べた。厚生労働省は「早急に検討の組織を設置し、配分方法の素案を示したい」と話す。
だが、都道府県側で配分する作業は簡単には進みそうにない。
国レベルの義援金とは別に、先月末現在で県あてに約３０億２２００万円が集まっている岩手県。配分委の設置要綱を作成した段階にとどまり、県は「国の分配のルールが決まらない段階で、ばらばらに配っても市町村の負担になるだけ。大槌町や陸前高田市などは壊滅的な被害を受けており、まずは行政機能を回復させないとトラブルのもとになる」と説明する。
県あての義援金が約５５億円（先月末現在）に達した宮城県は、０８年の岩手・宮城内陸地震（義援金約１２億円）で、１回目の分配は地震の３カ月後だった。県は「今回は被害が甚大で、死者や行方不明者数が確定しないと、分配委の設置もできない」と苦悩する。
一方、福島県は１日に配分委を設置し、被災世帯に５万円ずつ配分することを決めた。「被災者から『早く義援金を配ってほしい』という要望があったため」（県担当者）という。対象は地震や津波で自宅が全壊または半壊した世帯と、福島第１原発から３０キロ圏内にある世帯の計約６万５０００世帯。１日までに県に寄せられた義援金３３億２０００万円を市町村に分配し、被災者に配布する。
だが課題も残る。原発周辺の自治体は役場機能が他市町村に移っているうえ、県外に避難して所在が確認できない住民も多い。県は「実際に被災者に渡るのは来月以降になるのでは」と話す。原発から３０キロ圏外にある自宅から避難した住民については「どこかで線引きしなければならず、今回は国が指定した範囲だけを対象にした。圏外の避難者を含めるかは、今後の分配の際に検討する」と話す。
被災者に分配される額はどれぐらいになるのか。阪神大震災の場合、最終的に集まった義援金は１７９３億円だった。兵庫県によると、１回目の分配は震災２週間後に死者行方不明者、全半壊と全半焼世帯に１０万円ずつ見舞金として配布。２回目は５カ月後以降、世帯構成などを考慮し、母子家庭など要援護世帯に３０万円、震災遺児の教育資金として１００万円を支給した。
だが、「被害者数が膨大だったため、１世帯あたりの平均支給額は約４０万円だった」（県担当者）という。阪神大震災を超える多額な義援金が集まっているが、被災者数と被災家屋数も阪神を上回る規模となっており、被災者にとって十分な支給額となるかは未知数だ。
◇政府も受け皿に…異例の対応
政府は５日、東日本大震災に対する国内外からの義援金受け付け窓口を設置した。国が直接義援金を受け付けるのは極めて異例で、内閣府の担当者は「戦後初めてではないか」と話している。
枝野幸男官房長官は同日の記者会見で、義援金について「赤十字や民間に努力いただいているが、『政府が直接受け皿となるように』との要望も、国内外から多々来ている」と述べた。
受付期間は９月３０日まで。振込先は▽三菱東京ＵＦＪ銀行東京営業部（普通口座０３２２３１３）▽三井住友銀行東京公務部（普通口座０１６７５２４）▽ゆうちょ銀行（００１３０－６－６２３４６１）。みずほ銀行は調整中という。内閣府ホームページで詳細を確認できるほか、問い合わせ専用ダイヤル（０１２０・９９４・１９２）も設置した。【宮城征彦】
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