Friendship beyond Time and Borders
Sunshine English Course 2 (2021) pg. 84-86
| Friendship beyond Time and Borders | |
|---|---|
| ? | |
| Details | |
| Word count | 265 |
| Book | Sunshine |
| Grade | 2 |
| Year | 2021 |
In March 1985, Iran and Iraq were at war. The president of Iraq said, "From March 19, the air above Iran will be a no-fly zone. We will shoot down all planes." Many countries sent planes to rescue their people in Iran. The planes landed one after another.
At the airport, the Japanese people waited and waited, but no planes came for them. Time was running short. Suddenly two Turkish planes came to rescue them. They took all 215 Japanese out of Iran. Japanese people couldn't believe it. Why Turkish planes?
Almost 130 years ago, a Turkish ship came to Japan on a goodwill mission. However, on the way back to Turkey, the ship met a strong typhoon. It sank off the coast of Wakayama, and 587 people died.
People in a nearby fishing village rescued 69 survivors. They didn't understand Turkish. They didn't have enough food. But they gave their last chickens to the survivors. They also buried the dead respectfully.
After that, the survivors stayed in a hospital in Kobe for about a month. Then, they left for home on two Japanese ships.
"Turkish people still remember the story. Even children know about it. So Turkish planes flew to rescue the Japanese in Iran," a former ambassador to Japan said.
The friendship between the two countries still continues today. When a big earthquake hit Turkey in 1999, Japanese people went there to help. In 2011, a big earthquake and tsunami hit eastern Japan. This time, Turkish people came to help. We can make a better world by helping each other outside our borders.
