‘Smile for Nippon,’ a volunteer organization, came to speak at the University of Southern
California’s  Annenberg Auditorium on Friday, Jan. 13, to remind people that the relief
efforts in Japan are far from over. Check out the slideshow.

By Sara Clayton

A man from Tokyo and

his ‘Smile for Nippon’ team

are on a mission —

a mission to do whatever they can to support tsunami victims and keep them smiling despite the hardships they have faced.

It has been ten months since the tragic magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Tohoku, the northeastern region of Japan, and though many of us saw images and footages of cars, houses and people being swallowed up by the relentless tsunami waves, this disaster has been abandoned by the media and the rest of the world after almost a month of coverage.

But one small organization, Smile for Nippon, which came to speak in the Annenberg Auditorium on Friday, Jan. 13, is determined to remind the world that Japan still needs as much help as possible.

A group of graduate students from USC and UCLA have been touring around Los Angeles and giving presentations in order to educate people on what has happened since media coverage of the tsunami area halted. But these students would not have come together if it were not for a certain Mr. Tsun-san, who goes by the name Chonmage, the hairstyle featuring a shaved pate and a small ponytail that most sumo wrestlers don before a match.

Chonmage has visited Tohoku 17 times since the tsunami, and with every visit, he brings up amenities – shoes, sausages, games, etc. Because he lives in Tokyo, each trip he makes up to Tohoku and back covers approximately 1000 miles, but Chonmage does not mind making the trip because all the smiles he sees whenever he visits Tohoku makes all the traveling worthwhile.

“I heard that the people who lived in Tohoku needed shoes, and since I am a shoemaker myself, I decided to bring up 200 shoes to give to them,” Chonmage said in Japanese, “When I delivered the shoes, I made a pinky-promise with a little boy that I would come back. Since then, I have returned sixteen more times.”

With donations and money out of his own pocket, Chonmage has been able to brighten the lives of people from all ages in Tohoku. And along with the supplies and entertainment he gives to those in the disaster areas, Chonmage also noted how much they enjoy his presence. “They love to see my goofy outfit. It gives me a reason to talk to them and gives them a reason to laugh. Everyone remembers me.”

Chonmage, with the help of the Los Angeles team, among others, will continue to help those in Tohoku for many years to come. “My ultimate goal is to take the kids to Tokyo Disney!” exclaimed Chonmage, with a brilliant smile.

If you would like to learn more about Chonmage and his mission, please “Like” Smile for Nippon on Facebook and follow Chonmage on Twitter.

Related Stories —

New York Times: Panel Challenges Japan’s Account of Nuclear Disaster

KTVZ: Japan Tsunami Debris Threatens Ore. Coast

The Tokyo Times: Japan welcomes new foreign friends as volunteers

by Harshvardhan Vathsangam

On February 4, 2011, close to 11 million Indian citizens living outside of India gained ground on a long-standing demand  when the Indian government announced rules allowing non-resident Indians to vote in India’s elections.

India follows a parliamentary system in which the country is divided into constituencies and voters from each constituency elect their representative to the government. To be eligible to vote (and contest for elections) citizens must register themselves to a voters’ list.

As per earlier laws, no voter could be on the voters’ list if he or she remained outside the country for longer than six months at a time. This meant that citizens who left the country for long periods of time due to professional or educational commitments lost the right to exercise their franchise.

The Registration of Electors (Amendment) Rules, 2011allows non-resident Indians who hold Indian passports and have not acquired the citizenship to another country to vote, and by extension, even contest elections in India. Voters will still have to be physically present in their registered polling station on the date of elections to exercise their right to vote. However, future amendments might allow votes either by electronic means or postal ballot.

The aforementioned amendment is the latest in a series of reforms instituted by the Indian government in an effort to provide its overseas Indian citizens with a sense of belonging. In the last decade, the attitude of the government has changed immeasurably from one of disdain to apathy to active empathy. For a country striving to use every asset at its disposal to bring about a better standard of living for its citizens, overseas Indians represent an important talent pool from which to draw expertise and means.

And for good reason: non-resident Indians pump huge sums of money into the Indian economy through foreign remittances. To understand the magnitude of this contribution, in the year 2008, money from foreign remittances peaked at $30 billion (roughly three percent of GDP), when the government’s defense budget for the same year was $26.4 billion.

Given the size of this contribution it was a natural step that such citizens be given their “legitimate right” to choose who is elected to power. While much more remains to be done, the amendment certainly represents a step in the right direction in integrating India’s diaspora into the nation-building process.