Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Makiko Kikuta toured the Israeli army\’s medical clinic in the city of Minami-Sanriko. Kikuta said that the good relationship between Israel and Japan will be strengthened due to the arrival of the medical delegation to help in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in March.
As if the triple whammy of the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster weren’t enough to enthrall and terrify us, the war in Libya is now providing cable news viewers a fresh hell to follow 24/7.
Israel has sent a medical delegation to Japan to help victims of the recent devastating earthquake and tsunami. Two doctors and an Israel Defense Forces Homefront Command officer arrived Monday in Japan to determine what is required to send a full-scale medical delegation and the necessary equipment to the devastated area, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN that Israel is reconsidering its plans for a nuclear energy facility in light of what happened in Japan. The interview is set to be aired later on Thursday.
Israel\’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered \”any assistance\” and stated that the \”citizens of Israel stand beside you at this difficult time\” in a letter to his Japanese counterpart, Naoto Kan.
Japan said Wednesday that further assistance from the United States was needed to help keep the nuclear cores at a power plant from overheating, after last week\’s quake and tsunami knocked out the plant\’s cooling systems.
Almost as soon as the catastrophe in Japan began unfolding last Friday, Jewish groups scrambled to figure out how to get help to the area. In Israel, search-and-rescue organizations like ZAKA and IsraAid readied teams to head to the Japanese devastation zone. In Tokyo, the Chabad center took an accounting of local Jews and began organizing a shipment of aid to stricken cities to the north. In the United States, aid organizations ranging from B’nai B’rith International to local and national federation agencies launched campaigns to collect money for rescue, relief and rebuilding efforts in the Pacific.
Japan faced a potential catastrophe Tuesday after a quake-crippled nuclear power plant exploded and sent low levels of radiation floating toward Tokyo, prompting some people to flee the capital and others to stock up on essential supplies.
A third explosion in four days rocked the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan early Tuesday, the country\’s nuclear safety agency said. The blast at Dai-ichi Unit 2 followed two hydrogen explosions at the plant – the latest on Monday – as authorities struggle to prevent the catastrophic release of radiation in the area devastated by a tsunami.
Chabad-Lubavitch centers in Tokyo and Hong Kong have shipped tons of food into one of the Japanese cities hardest hit by last week\’s earthquake and tsunami. The Tokyo-based Chabad-Lubavitch of Japan and the Hong Kong-based Chabad-Lubavitch of Asia have shipped bread, rice, noodles, soups, canned foods, flour and oil to the city of Sendai, Chabad.org reported.
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