Israeli Among First Nations to Send Aid to Japan

Israel became one of the first countries to dispatch medical aid to Japan, sending a 747 cargo jet laden with 62 tons of medical supplies and 18 tons of humanitarian aid to the area stricken by a major earthquake and tsunami earlier this month. The Israeli army also dispatched a plane with a field hospital and 50 medical personnel, who will set up in Kurihara, a town in the prefecture hardest hit by the tsunami. The aid includes 10,000 coats, 6,000 blankets and thousands of pairs of gloves, all sent at the request of the Japanese government. Japan’s ambassador to Israel, Haruhisa Takeuchi, said Israel was among the fastest to respond to Japanese requests for aid.