Sunday’s Kahoku Shimpo published an interview with Ambassador Kennedy, during which she emphasized that the United States will continue to work with Japan to help the Tohoku region recover from the 3/11 triple disaster. On her sixth trip to the Tohoku region, the Ambassador said that although reconstruction remains a challenge, she has seen impressive progress on each visit and has been inspired by local residents’ resilience and unshakable spirit. Speaking on the TOMODACHI Initiative designed to help Japanese youths acquire skills to deal with societal challenges, the Ambassador explained that more than half of the over 35,000 participants in the various bilateral exchange programs have come from the Tohoku region.  She mentioned that some members of the U.S. military who participated in Operation Tomodachi are still involved with charitable organizations working in Tohoku.