The Chilean government is planning to give a stone replica of an Easter Island Moai statue created by Chilean artisans to Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, which was hit particularly hard by last year's earthquake and tsunami.
The Chileans say the statue, the first made from the island's stone to be given to a foreign country, is a gesture of gratitude for Japanese support to restore the monolithic figures, which have been exposed to the elements for many centuries.
Chile gave a Moai replica to Minamisanriku in 1991 to promote friendship between the two countries. The city was chosen to receive the statue because it had been affected by a tsunami triggered by a powerful 1960 temblor in Chile.