YouTube has announced the launch of a new channel that aims to support business owners in areas of Eastern Japan that were affected by a major earthquake and tsunami earlier this year.

The channel, which is called “YouTube Business Support Channel,” aims to let everyone know that businesses in the area are up and running again following the disaster. YouTube has teamed up with 7 local newspapers in Japan to produce short videos that highlight small businesses such as hot springs inns and organic rice sellers.

In each of the videos, the owner of the business explains the recent conditions. Some proprietors then either take you on a tour of their premises or display some of the products that they have for sale.

What’s particularly cool about these videos is that they feature annotations that link to Google Places pages (so you can visit these businesses should you find yourself in Eastern Japan); e-commerce websites, where you can purchase goods from the businesses; or travel services, so that you can reserve a room at the ryokan spa hotels.

The channel features almost 70 videos at the time of this writing, and more will be added in the coming weeks. The videos will also be broadcast on giant screens around Tokyo, which will only help to increase awareness of these local businesses.

This is a nice initiative that should help to promote these businesses and encourage consumers to buy goods from them. It is not the first time YouTube has played a part in the earthquake and tsunami relief efforts either, as it launched a Person Finder channel to help tsunami survivors find and communicate with each other. However, given the widespread damage caused by the natural disaster, the people of Japan need all the help they can get.