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Fukushima trio complete Paris-Tokyo run
TOKYO, Aug 2, 2012 (AFP) - Three Japanese men, including a 71-year-old, jogged into central Tokyo Thursday to finish a year-long run through Europe and Asia to thank the world for supporting the disaster-struck nation.
The trio, led by septuagenarian Kenichi Hatori who is the head of one of Japan's biggest used-car dealerships, arrived at a conference hall in the nation's capital, completing a run of more than 13,000 km.
The group members, including Hatori's 28-year-old son Akihito and 50-year-old Takenobu Sugama, left Paris on June 25 last year, about three months after the quake-tsunami struck in northeastern Japan.
The disaster left more than 19,000 dead or missing and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, setting off the worst atomic crisis in a generation.
The trio ran roughly 13,350 km (8,300 miles) through 14 countries in their journey.
They ran an average of 40 km per day and rested one day each week, crossing Europe and Asia, and arriving in Beijing earlier this month.
They crossed to mainland Japan by a ferry.
The trio were accompanied by a support van carrying a banner which read in English and French: “Many thanks for your kindness to Japan.””We were running in order to send a message of thankfulness,” Hatori told reporters Thursday.
“We were cheered and given courage by a lot of people. It will take more time to recover from the disaster. I hope our challenge will help speed up reconstruction.”
The trio, led by septuagenarian Kenichi Hatori who is the head of one of Japan's biggest used-car dealerships, arrived at a conference hall in the nation's capital, completing a run of more than 13,000 km.
The group members, including Hatori's 28-year-old son Akihito and 50-year-old Takenobu Sugama, left Paris on June 25 last year, about three months after the quake-tsunami struck in northeastern Japan.
The disaster left more than 19,000 dead or missing and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, setting off the worst atomic crisis in a generation.
The trio ran roughly 13,350 km (8,300 miles) through 14 countries in their journey.
They ran an average of 40 km per day and rested one day each week, crossing Europe and Asia, and arriving in Beijing earlier this month.
They crossed to mainland Japan by a ferry.
The trio were accompanied by a support van carrying a banner which read in English and French: “Many thanks for your kindness to Japan.””We were running in order to send a message of thankfulness,” Hatori told reporters Thursday.
“We were cheered and given courage by a lot of people. It will take more time to recover from the disaster. I hope our challenge will help speed up reconstruction.”
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