On January 6, Prime Minister Koizumi attended the Special ASEAN Leader's Meeting on the Aftermath of the Earthquake and Tsunami. The Prime Minister explained Japan’s expeditious assistance for the disaster, through financial resources, knowledge and expertise and human resources.
In response to today's flash appeal by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Prime Minister Koizumi declared that Japan will expeditiously provide $250 million out of the $500 million for assistance to disaster-stricken countries through relevant international organizations. Japan will also extend bilateral grant aid of around $250 million directly to countries severely hit by the disaster. Furthermore, Japan will call on other countries to jointly apply moratorium on public debt services for a certain period of time, when any disaster-stricken country so wishes.
With respect to contributions of human resources, in addition to the disaster relief teams dispatched in the immediate aftermath, transport aircraft of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces left the home base today, as a part of support measures by the Japan Self Defense Forces in the field of transport and epidemics prevention in Indonesia, where the damages are particularly severe.
Japan will also host the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction from 18 to 22 January in Kobe, which was hit by a big earthquake ten years ago. Prime Minister Koizumi proposed at this meeting today to hold a special session on the early warning mechanism at the conference and use Japan ’s expertise to work out a concrete framework and ways of cooperation including training and holding seminars.
Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office
[Related links]
* Address by Prime Minister Koizumi
* Major Earthquake off the Coast of Sumatra and Tsunami in the Indian Ocean |
