U.S. Army delivers the aid to regions hit by the earthquake in Japan
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said at a press conference that Japan only accepted U.S. aid after the earthquake while rejecting aid from other countries due to difficulties in reaching an agreement on how the aid would be delivered, reports Kyodo.
U.S. Army UH-60 helicopters will be engaged in a mission to deliver humanitarian aid from the Komatsu air base of the Japanese forces to the Wajima Noto airport, one of the cities on the coast of the Sea of Japan that was hardest hit by the 7.6 magnitude earthquake, Kihara specified.
He pointed out that the Japanese military is engaged in transporting people from evacuation centers to hotels and other accommodation facilities outside the affected areas and that, therefore, Japan needs the urgent assistance of the U.S. military in delivering aid.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel wrote on Platform X that two U.S. helicopters would assist the Japanese fleet.
Many foreign governments offered to help after the earthquake, but the Japanese government refused all forms of aid, except for public donations. The earthquake on January 1 killed more than 220 people, while currently more than 17,000 people are housed in evacuation centers, hotels, and other facilities.
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