Japanese Government to support children orphaned by quake, tsunami

[cstaylor]

The welfare ministry decided Wednesday to find out how many children lost their parents in the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan and to support them by dispatching caseworkers to the afflicted areas, its officials said.

While it is estimated that more than 100 children became orphans following the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, ''the latest disaster has caused wide-scale damage and we are concerned that a greater number of children have lost their parents,'' a Health, Welfare and Labor Ministry official said.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/80378.html

(poor kids)

[matsuki]

Even worse as most Japanese families are not willing to adopt orphaned children, even ones from within their family. Poor kids indeed.

[Pearse]

Even worse as most Japanese families are not willing to adopt orphaned children, even ones from within their family. Poor kids indeed.

I know what you mean. I've been here for nearly two decades now and have never met anyone who has adopted or been adopted. I don't know if it's a case of it rarely happening or it's just hidden. Maybe a combination of the two.
In places where many children have lost their parents I wonder if it wouldn't be better to build orphanages right in the towns they lived in. That's assuming they need any. Hopefully, relatives would take the kids but if they were going to be put in public orphanages it would be nice if they could continue in the same schools and continue to get support from people who know them and understand them the best. Just a thought...