"Ai no Kai" Donates Picture Books to Tokyo Libraries

On July 11, Governor Koike received a donation of picture books from Ms. Ozawa Juri, the representative director of the Kanto Association of Traffic Crime Victims ("Ai no Kai"), and Mr. Matsunaga Takuya, the deputy representative director. The book emphasizes the importance of supporting individuals who have lost loved ones to traffic violence and the significance of grief care for children.  

“Providing adequate mental health care for crime victims (and their families) is a complex challenge. However, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government took early action by establishing a crime victim support ordinance,” Ms. Ozawa said. “While support for adult victims is gradually improving, the reality is that children are still not receiving the care they need. We created this picture book in the hope that many people, especially those who protect children, such as guardians and teachers, will offer support from the child's perspective," she continued.

Mr. Matsunaga added, "Having lost my family in traffic violence, my heart was broken. But I received various forms of support and slowly began to recover.” Then he continued, “I imagine losing a loved one at a young age is truly unbearable. Through this picture book, we hope to convey the message to young, bereaved family members that 'you are not alone' and connect readers to various support systems. We also hope that society will recognize the importance of supporting crime victims, especially children. With this in mind, we created this picture book. We hope it will be distributed to libraries across Tokyo, reaching as many people as possible."

Governor Koike expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you for donating the picture books to help raise awareness among diverse groups. Traffic accidents cause deep emotional pain for not only victims and perpetrators, but for their families. We will distribute these books to libraries so that children can read them. Most importantly, we will work to reduce the number of people affected by traffic accidents."