The loss of life and great destruction of property in Japan due to the 8.9 magnitude earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami on Friday, March 11, 2011 saddened Turkish Community of Madison. We remember very well that Japanese people generously and graciously extended their helping hand to Turkish people in the aftermath of Kocaeli, Gölcük Earthquake in 1999. To share the pain of Japanese friends in the aftermath of this unprecedented disaster and to remember our common history, we organized a get-together friendship meeting on April 23rd, 2011 at TACC-Madison with the Japanese Student Organization and the members of Japanese society of Madison.

It is our honor, as TACC-Madison, to be able to stand by Japan and to host its brotherly people at TACC-Madison. On behalf of the Japanese Community of Madison, Mrs. Rie Fredrickson kindly stated her thoughts as “It really worked for us that you gave this opportunity, we could receive positive energy and thinking from Turkish people’s warm, kind hospitality. We got the energy to live for the future!”

Even though it is our impression that our Japanese friends stand strong and steadfast after this tragic earthquake, we would like to once again take this opportunity to express our sincere condolences to our Japanese living in Madison in particular and Japanese people in general.

It is our hope that we, Turkish and Japanese societies of Madison, will organize many more activities and events together. May our friendship last forever!