「悲劇風化させない」　震災１０年、ＮＹからも追悼

　【ニューヨーク時事】東日本大震災から１０年を迎えるのを前にニューヨーク在住の日本人主催でオンラインの追悼式典が６日、開かれ、黙とうをささげた。在ニューヨーク総領事館の山野内勘二総領事は「３月１１日の悲劇を決して風化させてはならない。しっかりと後世に伝えていかなければならない」と強調した。
　式典は２０１２年以降、ニューヨーク市内の教会で開催され、主催者によると、延べ４１６０人が参加してきた。新型コロナウイルス感染拡大を受け、昨年は中止となり、今年はオンライン開催となった。
　岩手県釜石市の旅館、宝来館のおかみ、岩崎昭子さんがメッセージを寄せ「３月１１日という日を大切な人を思う日にしたい」と語った。今年に延期された東京五輪・パラリンピックにも触れ「今耐えて、明るい笑顔で皆さんに会えることを信じている。日本で待っている」と呼び掛けた。（2021/03/07-14:51）

Participants offered silent prayers for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake in an online memorial service hosted by Japanese residents in New York on Saturday, almost a decade after the disaster devastated northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011.
   "We must not forget the March 11 tragedy," Japanese Consul-General in New York Kanji Yamanouchi said at the ceremony. "We must surely pass the experiences down the generations."
   The annual memorial service had been held at a church in New York since 2012. According to the organizer, participants in the gatherings have added up to 4,160 over the years. Last year's ceremony was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this year's event was held online amid efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.
   "I hope March 11 will be a day when people think of their loved ones," Akiko Iwasaki, the "okami" female manager of a "ryokan" Japanese-style inn in Kamaishi in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate, said in a video message sent to Saturday's ceremony.
   Touching on the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which have been postponed to this summer due to the pandemic, Iwasaki said: "After overcoming the current strain, we believe we can see you with bright smiles. We're waiting for you in Japan."