Shohei Ohtani honors Japan's lost lives 14 years after devastating earthquake and tsunami

On Monday, LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani took a moment to remember one of the darkest days in Japan’s history. The devastating impact of the 3/11 disaster remains the biggest tragedy Japan has seen since the atomic bombs were thrown on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Fourteen years ago, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Eastern coast of Japan, resulting in a massive tsunami that devastated coastal towns, taking over 22,000 lives and displacing many more.

On the 14th anniversary of the disaster, Ohtani paid tribute to the lives lost by the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. He wrote:

“2011.3.11.”

Ohtani's Instagram story

Ohtani grew up in Iwate Prefecture, one of the hardest-hit areas, and this is one of the reasons why the tragedy holds personal significance. He was a young teenager with dreams of becoming a professional baseball player when the disaster took place.

Shohei Ohtani makes charitable efforts for victims of Japan's earthquakes in 2024

Now that Shohei Ohtani has established himself as one of America's highest-paid MLB players, he makes sure to give back to the community, which has suffered a lot.

Last year in January, according to NBC, Ohtani and the Dodgers donated $1 million to victims of a series of earthquakes that hit the western coast of Japan in early 2024 and late 2023.

The same report states that the magnitude of the earthquake that hit the Ishikawa coast was 7.6 and that it took the lives of 94 people.

“I would like to thank those who have joined in the recovery effort, and my hope is that we continue to come together to support those whose lives have been upended,” Ohtani said in a statement at the time. “I hope for the rapid rescue of missing persons and the reconstruction of the disaster-stricken areas.”

Such displays of philanthropic efforts have been common when it comes to Shohei Ohtani. He has always worked towards bringing change through his platform, as evidenced by his donation of 60,000 youth gloves across Japan’s 20,000 elementary schools in Nov. 2023. His heartfelt donation towards the Japan Mask Project during the COVID-19 pandemic is also notable.