Cairns Japanese community to raise funds for disaster affected families

A Cairns-based Japanese cultural group will host its 15th annual fundraiser to help Japanese and Australian families struggling after natural disasters.

Cairns charity Smile With Kids will host the Japan Day of Hope festival at Edge Hill State School on Saturday, fundraising for children affected by the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and the fallout from nuclear radiation from the power plant explosion. Stephen Davey, Sylvia Au, Manda Keane and Joel Ward from the Cairns Taiko Drummers will open the festival, one of five different drumming teams performing at the festival. Picture: Brendan Radke

The Australia Japan Society Far North Queensland will host its annual Japan Day of Hope charity event at Edge Hill State School on Saturday to raise funds for children struggling with the after-effects of natural disasters.

Event organiser Maki McCarthy said all funds raised would help children affected by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster, families affected by Cyclone Jasper in 2023 and the Noto earthquake in 2024.

“This started in 2011 after the big earthquake and tsunami so Cairns and Japanese people got together and do a charity event to support (families from) Fukushima in Japan,” Ms McCarthy said.

“From two years ago, we started to support Cairns people affected by Cyclone Jasper.”

Ms McCarthy said the event would include Japanese craft and food stalls and live cultural performances, including Taiko Drumming.

Cairns Taiko president Joel Ward said it was important to support affected families 15 years on, as many people from the region continued to face social and economic challenges.

“There’s still no go zones there,” he said.

“A lot of families have moved out semi-permanently and of course there’s all the trauma as well.”

Mr Ward said some of the funds raised would help children from the disaster affected region experience life outside of Fukushima.

“They’ve been kept inside their houses and told not go out because of radiation levels,” he said.

“This helps them get out enjoy nature for a change, gets them to Cairns, to the reef and rainforest and get some fresh air.

The event will run from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, March 22.

Originally published as Cairns Japanese community to raise funds for disaster affected families