Los Angeles to lend support to Japan

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Mayor Villaraigosa and various Los Angeles organizations gathered at the U.S.-Japan Council Tuesday to discuss the city's role in aiding the people of Japan.

One woman, Junko, a clerk for the Japanese Consulate in LA, has a best friend who lives in a small town about 80 kilometers, or about 50 miles, from the earthquake's epicenter.

"Her daughter's preschool, they can't use it anymore, I guess it's destroyed or damaged beyond repair," she said.

The meeting, held by Villaraigosa and President of the U.S.-Japan Council Irene Hirano Inouye, was a joint effort to discuss what donations have been made to Japan and what future plans are in the works. Councilmember Richard Alarcon proposed holding a large event at the L.A. Coliseum to raise donations. A representative from the Wasserman group and AEG, which owns the Staples Center, said some of their athlete-clients have already donated thousands of dollars to the relief fund.

But all agreed more support needs to be given, including the mayor who stressed that the city's relief efforts can't be temporary.

"This isn't an issue that is going to be around for a month, or three months or six months even, that in fact we're going to all be living with this tragedy and the recovery for a very long time," he said.

L.A. County is home to the largest Japanese American population in the country, according to the Japanese Consulate. As of today, there are still 16,000 people missing in Japan. But Junko said even everyone in Japan needs some sort of aid.

"I kind of feel like even when help goes there they're going to mostly of course to the towns are hit hardest, so what about the people like her? They don't have the things that they need but they're not the most affected. And I don't want people to forget about them."

The Red Cross is accepting donations on behalf of those affected by the "earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific."