The Japan Society has announced grants totaling $1.6 million to eight organizations through its Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

Announced one year after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that inundated Japan's northeast coast, the grants increase to $7.2 million the amount distributed by the New York City-based organization to groups working to assist survivors of the twin disasters. The funding will support a wide range of projects, including efforts to provide health care to people still living in temporary housing, summer camps for children in Fukushima Prefecture, education workshops throughout the Tohoku region, and an initiative to promote creative arts in the region.

Two grant recipients, the Japan Primary Care Association and the Supporting Union for the Practical Use of Educational Resources, received follow-up grants in this funding round. The other recipients are Ashinaga, which will use its grant to provide educational and emotional support to Japanese children who have lost one or both parents; the Association for the Corporate Support for the Arts, which is working to revitalize local festivals and folk entertainment in the Tohoku region; the Japan Civil Network for Disaster Relief in East Japan, which will work to facilitate information sharing and networking among evacuees from the region; the NPO Jibunmirai Club, which will partner with Young Americans to bring Japanese and American youth together through popular musical workshops; the Studio for Cultural Exchange, which will bring its collaborative project, Voices From Japan: Despair and Hope From Disaster, to the United States and other countries; and Tumugiya, a newly established organization in Miyagi Prefecture that is building a facility on the Oshika Peninsula to serve as a base for community organizations and enterprises.

"As we [pass] the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, we are pleased with the swift allocations and immediate use of the funds for people in need," said Japan Society president Motoatsu Sakurai. "Over half of the money we've received has now been allocated. Moving forward, we will continue to look for opportunities to fund effective projects, including those that serve rebuilding and economic recovery in the region."