Children from Fukushima on holiday in Austria

• published: 30 Jul 2015
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1. Japanese students with tourist guide, pan to Saint Stephen''s Cathedral 2. Students listening 3. Medium flag reading "Austria Japan" 4. Wide of students on tour 5. SOUNDBITE: (German) Christoph Feichtenschlager, Rotary Club Youth Exchange Committee spokesman: "I think that you can achieve a better long term effect if you bring a few out of the area, offer them a time of recreation and distraction, so they can return with a beautiful experience in their hearts and perform better at their tasks and have new ideas." 6. Pan of Japanese ambassador to Austria Shigeo Iwatani with the students 7. Students holding up Rotary banner 8. Tilt down from ceiling to Rotary official and Japanese students 9. Close up of Japanese student Hiroyoshi Ara 10. Students lined up 11. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Hiroyoshi Ara, Japanese student: ++ROUGH TRANSLATION++ "After the earthquake there was the problem with the nuclear power plant. A 20 kilometre (12 miles) death zone was established. I live exactly 21 kilometres (13 miles) from the power plant, exactly at the border." 12. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Shiori Itoi, Japanese student: ++ROUGH TRANSLATION++ "It was really bad for me. I lost many friends from school. I''m just trying to make the best of it." 13. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Shigeo Iwatani, Japanese ambassador to Austria: ++ROUGH TRANSLATION++ "I''m sure they have suffered a great deal, because their home, Soma city, is one of the worst affected areas by this earthquake and tsunami. It''s also very near to the Fukushima power plant. So their emotional damage must be very bad." 14. Various of students with tour guide and visiting Vienna landmarks STORYLINE: A group of Japanese students have been given a welcome break from their earthquake and tsunami ravaged homes in the Fukushima prefecture, thanks to an Austrian community group. 23 students, many of whom live in the immediate vicinity of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, are currently on a three week tour of Austria, as part of a Rotary Club project that aims to heal the hearts and souls of earthquake victims. "I think that you can achieve a better long term effect if if you bring a few out of the area, offer them a time of recreation and distraction, so they can return with a beautiful experience in their hearts and perform better at their tasks and have new ideas," said Rotary spokesman Christoph Feichtenschlager It''s certainly not uncommon to see a Japanese tour group on the streets of Vienna but these children have more than earned their chance to soak up the city''s sights. Most come from the Soma city where the tsunami killed 459 people, among them 19 children. "It was really bad for me. I lost many friends from school. I''m just trying to make the best of it," said student Shiori Itoi. Others have been affected by the widespread and still-unfolding impact of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant. "After the earthquake there was the problem with the nuclear power plant. A 20 kilometre (12 miles) death zone was established. I live exactly 21 kilometres (13 miles) from the power plant, exactly at the border," said student Hiroyoshi Ara. The students were met on Wednesday by their country''s ambassador to Austria, Shigeo Iwatani, who was part of a special welcoming ceremony. The students will remain in Vienna for the next few days before being split into two groups. One group will travel to western Austria, the other one will explore the east of the country. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d35d8bdbe9f944d16713f2c38091abfa Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork