Tokyo, Feb 13 (FN Bureau) Japan will send a transport jet of its Self-Defense Forces to Turkey to help deal with the consequences of deadly earthquakes and keep providing necessary assistance, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday. “Japan, which survived the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and other natural disasters, is making every effort to help the people affected by the earthquake [in Turkey]. Today, the second group of 36 medics will arrive at the scene. In order to quickly and purposefully deliver the cargo necessary for the medics, a jet of the Self-Defense Forces will be sent. As soon as all the necessary procedures are completed, today, possibly, a B777 special transport aircraft will take off from Japan,” he said. Matsuno added that the first group of Japanese rescuers had been sent in Turkey on February 6, and the medical team on February 10. Both groups are working at the scene, he said.
The Boeing-777 usually used as a government plane was considered the best option to transport cargo over the long distance. It took off from the Chitose air base in Hokkaido and will take 15 tonnes of medical equipment, tents, beds and operating tables at Narita Airport near Tokyo. The jet will fly to Turkey in the afternoon. The official also said that Japan would sent not only humanitarian but also financial aid to Turkey and Syria, and relevant decisions were already being considered by the government. “The Japanese government will continue to rapidly provide assistance to the affected areas according to their needs,” Matsuno said. On January 6, parts of Turkey and Syria were hit by a series of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks that killed over 33,000 people, destroying thousands of homes.