Return to Japan Reveals
Triumph and Tragedy
By Joshua Kretchmar, Ph.D., D.O., Class of 2014
n March 11, 2011, I coinciden-
tally arrived in Japan on the
day the infamous earthquake
struck that precipitated a nuclear
disaster and devastating tsunami,
which created a tidal wave that killed
almost 19,000 people.
Three years later, Pacific Ocean
shipping channels are still filled
with navigation hazards and enor-
mous toxic
islands
of tsunami wreck-
age, and the world is still trying
to determine the scope and conse-
quence of the Fukushima Daihatsu
Nuclear Reactor meltdown. This
was a natural and human disaster of
epic proportions, with fallout that
will take many decades, or even
centuries, to handle.
Scientists are already reporting
problems with birds and amphibians
in the area, while feral herd animals
are displaying peculiar skin diseases.
Even outside the so-called radioac-
tive zone, some crops and livestock
have been deemed unsafe for hu-
man consumption, while radioactive
deep-sea fishes are being found in
the food supply. As a result, there
will be long-term, worldwide medi-
cal consequences to what the Japa-
nese call 3/11.
I landed in the middle of this
disaster purely by chance. There was
no real choice but to forget my itiner-
ary and help. It was not bravery or
bravado. All I did was put one foot
in front of the other and help where I
could. This year, I returned to Japan
to complete my final clinical rotation
before graduation—my rural selec-
tive. I wanted to further my under-
standing of the Japanese health care
system, study the country’s problems
and successes with the rural and
underserved, and return to the now
highly restricted site of the nuclear
disaster to assess what had, and
had not, been done. I also wanted
to again lend a hand if I could—and
make a little peace with the starker
memories I still carry.
Gaining a New Perspective
As my arrival drew near, I grew
apprehensive for a number of rea-
sons. I was returning to places where
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