S.D. Japanese honorary consul general, “Our worst fears have come true”

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – The magnitude-8.9 earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck Japan were the “worst fears” come true for the Japanese people, the country's honorary consul general in San Diego said Friday.

“Our worst fears have come true — it's something we've dreaded,” Dr. Michael Inoue said.

As a youngster growing up in Tokyo, the way to scare someone was to tell a scary story about a tsunami, Inoue said.

“You can't outrun it, and it carries everything away,” Inoue said.

Inoue, who moved to the United States in 1956 and came to San Diego 26 years later, said there are about 14,000 people in San Diego County with Japanese passports.

Tombstones in the Mount Hope Cemetery show the deep roots the Japanese have in San Diego, according to Inoue.

He said he has received several calls from people concerned about relatives.

The Japanese Consulate is setting up a telephone system to handle such calls, he said. The consulate's Web site is at la.us.emb-japan.go.jp.

“The Japanese community is very grateful for inquiries and sympathies of the people of San Diego,” Inoue said.