In Japan, Médecins Sans Frontières has responded to natural disasters, such as earthquakes in 2011 and 2016, and to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
In 2011, MSF teams responded to the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami off the northeastern coast of Japan. Teams also responded by providing medical treatment in evacuation centres after the April 2016 earthquake in Kumamoto.
In April and May 2020, our teams responded to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in the country, providing medical assistance to people on board a docked cruise ship, and supporting with epidemiological analysis in Tokyo.
