3/11: FOUR YEARS AFTER: Father gets diving license, joins undersea search for daughter

[Bonobo]

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/life_and_death/AJ201503090039

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi Prefecture--Once or twice each month, Masaaki Narita dives into the sea to search for anything related to his only daughter who was swept away in the tsunami four years ago.

So far, Narita, a 58-year-old resident of this coastal city, has found no remains or belongings of Emi, who was 26 when she disappeared.

“I think it is far more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack, but I cannot give up because my daughter is the most precious thing for me and my wife,” said Narita, who obtained a diving license in July last year. “I still wonder if I had done anything wrong that would make me deserve to lose such a precious thing.”

He is not alone in his search. Others who lost loved ones in the 2011 disaster and their supporters are also on undersea missions to bring about some sense of closure.

Among all municipalities hit by the tsunami on March 11, 2011, Ishinomaki had the most casualties, with about 4,000 killed or missing.