Shiratori

Using compensation from the 9/11 victim's fund and Atsushi's other assets, Mr. Shiratori established a fund devoted to help rebuild the country.

Families Around the World Mourn Loved Ones 2011

A few years after the attacks, Mr. Shiratori, whose son Atsushi was working on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower, flew to Pakistan to hand-deliver a letter to Osama bin Laden, bringing three copies written in English, Japanese and Persian.

Tragic Losses Leave Distant Scars David Luhnow 2011

Although he didn't get his answers from bin Laden, Mr. Shiratori found a way to channel his frustrations.

Families Around the World Mourn Loved Ones 2011

Mr. Shiratori resolved to focus his efforts on helping the country's children.

Families Around the World Mourn Loved Ones 2011

This year, Mr. Shiratori will be one of nearly 40 Japanese relatives of victims who will travel to New York for the anniversary of the attacks, which left 24 Japanese citizens dead.

Tragic Losses Leave Distant Scars David Luhnow 2011

Mr. Shiratori frequently talked to Atsushi about how he wanted to move to America where everything seemed bigger and exciting, and after high school Atsushi moved there to study, graduating from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Families Around the World Mourn Loved Ones 2011

Using compensation from the victims' fund and Atsushi's other assets, Mr. Shiratori established a fund to help rebuild Afghanistan.

Tragic Losses Leave Distant Scars David Luhnow 2011

Mr. Shiratori, who owns a yakitori restaurant in Tokyo, says his son had only just started to realize the "American dream" that wasn't possible for his father when he died.

Families Around the World Mourn Loved Ones 2011

Mr. Shiratori said he is going to New York this year because it is the tenth anniversary and it will be the first time he sees Atsushi's name carved into the memorial.

Families Around the World Mourn Loved Ones 2011

Islamic Relations Take New Shape Many Afghans Shrug at 'This Event Foreigners Call 9/11' Complete Coverage: A Decade After 9/11 Haruhiro Shiratori, a restaurant owner in Japan whose only child, a 36-year-old son named Atsushi, died working for Cantor Fitzgerald, said he remembers being turned away at the entrance of Japan's foreign ministry when he went there seeking help soon after the attacks.

Tragic Losses Leave Distant Scars David Luhnow 2011