Japan fund to repair school violins damaged by tsunami

A new fund has been set up to help schoolchildren in the disaster-hit north-east of Japan start playing their instruments again.

The School Music Revival fund is a joint initiative of the Zenkoku Gakki Kyokai (All-Japan Musical Instrument Association) and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, reports the Mainichi Daily News.

Some ¥300m (£2.3m) will be raised by the fund to pay for checks and repairs of instruments at kindergartens and primary, junior high and high schools damaged in the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.

The fund's primary focus will be on 1,850 schools in the worst-hit prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.