MOAI RESTORATION PROJECT

It started with an interview in a quiz show on Japanese television.

It happened in November 1988. Sergio Rapu, former Governor of Easter Island was interviewed on a Japanese television program, and he sent the message to the Japanese people that If we had a crane, we could save the Moai statues.
His voice deeply touched one Japanese man, who happened to watch this program. He is an employee of TADANO and thought that a crane produced by his company would be a great help to restore and preserve the Moai statues on Easter Island.
This was just a start of the project at TADANO.

About Easter Island

Easter Island belongs to the Republic of Chile in South America. It is located about 3,800 km from the Chilean coast, at latitude 27 south and longitude 109 west. It is a very small island in the South Pacific; 175 square kilo meters (109 square miles). It is a volcanic island, made by a volcanic eruption of Mount Terevaka, Mount Katiki, and Mount Ranokao. The island was named after "Easter Day", because it was found on Easter day in 1722 by a Dutch explorer, Captain Jacob Roggeveen.
The view from the top of the mountain is really worthy of being as "an isolated island in the distant sea", one can only see the horizon of the Pacific Ocean. Surrounded by the sea, the Earth is sure to be round.
There are about 1,000 Moai statues, which are famous as some of the few pre-historic heritages in the world. Why were Moais made? Moais leave us many mysteries, therefore they are described as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The population of the island is about 2,800 and it would be hard to say that their livelihood is affluent compared with the advanced nations'.