Topcon volunteers lend physical and moral support to Japan recovery

Several individuals at Topcon Positioning Systems, Livermore, Calif.—a subsidiary of Topcon Corp, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan—were so moved by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit the Tohoku (northeast) district of Japan that they wanted to do even more than donate money to the relief effort. They wanted to personally go there and assist the cleanup in the aftermath of the disaster, which caused more than 15,000 deaths and left more than 150,000 residents homeless.

Through the TOGETHER Japan Relief Volunteer Program, a partnership project between the Japan Travel Bureau USA and Delta Airlines with support from the Japan National Tourism Organization to assist Tohoku earthquake and tsunami victims in northeast Japan, 12 Topcon employees spent three days cleaning up debris during a tour that was open to the U.S. public for a week starting in late September. JTB provided guides and interpreters for the Topcon group and Delta Airlines provided travel.