The city of Rikuzentakata, which was ravaged by the March 2011 tsunami but now wants the world to know it's on the mend, has chosen an experienced American interpreter as its director of global public relations.
As a volunteer, Amya Miller will be in charge of dispensing English information about the city until March 2014.
"I'd like to continue to deliver real voices in disaster-hit areas to overseas," Miller, who was appointed Nov. 1, said.
Miller calls Japan her home as she was brought up in Tokyo and Hokkaido until the age of 18.
She arrived back in Japan from the U.S. a few weeks after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami to serve as an interpreter for a U.S. volunteer group. Since then, she has worked in Rikuzentakata and other disaster-stricken areas.