NGOs from Japan, U.S. to Team Up on Debris Cleanup, jiji press, 8/7/12

Portland, Oregon, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Members of Japanese and U.S. nongovernmental organizations, together with researchers, agreed at their two-day meeting that ended here Monday to cooperate closely to share information about debris from Japan washed into the Pacific Ocean following last year’s tsunami.
The meeting to discuss how to deal with the debris washed away by the massive tsunami triggered by the March 11 earthquake last year, was held by Ocean Conservancy, an NGO based in Washington D.C., and joined by researchers and the Japan Environmental Action Network.
Participants agreed to collect data on the ocean debris through International Coastal Cleanup, Ocean Conservancy’s global volunteer effort to maintain healthy seas, and use it to formulate cleanup measures.
Hiroshi Kaneko, head of the Tokyo-based NGO, said, “The best outcome of this meeting is that we confirmed we share the same views with those working in the United States.”
He said the organization would like to continue the dialogue.