When the March 11 quake and tsunami orphaned thousands of children in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, in the majority of cases relatives stepped forward to start raising them.
This has led to some unlikely matchups, such as a 90-year-old man who took in a grandchild and a 19-year-old woman who started looking after a younger sibling, according to the Ashinaga group that supports orphans.
In other cases, children in Tohoku have been placed with relatives who were grateful but stunned to find themselves entrusted with their care.