The mayor of a small city devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami traveled to Indonesia this month to brief President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the progress of the recovery effort.
"I came here to report to the president about the recovery process in Miyagi Prefecture, particularly in Kesennuma as a followup of the president and first lady Ani Yudhoyono's visit to Kesennuma on June 18, 2011," Shigeru Sugawara told a news conference after his 40-minute meeting Nov. 12 with the president.
"About 11,000 people still live in temporary housing and they represent one-sixth of the Kesennuma residents," the mayor of the city in disaster-ravaged Tohoku said.