The Japan Emergency Team is Japan`s only non-government related
Disaster Relief Team and Asia`s pioneering such operation.
Begun in 1989 when a group of 38 Students from Chuo University in Tokyo
met with US President Ronald Reagan and subsequently traveled to assist
on site at the San Francisco Earthquake it became the first overseas disaster
response in Japanese history.
Japan`s government disaster team is modeled after the team and was set
up following subsequent meetings with the Japan Emergency Team which enjoys
very close cooperative relations with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and other agencies.
Following the San Francisco Earthquake response The Japan Emergency Team
has been to nearly every disaster in the world.
Currently the team is in Iraq and the Niigata area of Japan where there
was a terrible earthquake.
The Japan Emergency Team was one of the first to arrive at Phuket in Thailand
immediately following the earthquake and operates fundamentally in bringing
team members on site to deliver emergency supplies, assist in the disaster
centers with victim search, providing food to those in the centers, medical
assistance and a whole range of on site help as they do every time.
The team has relied since its founding on the kindness of airlines in
providing space for team members to fly to disaster areas. With the growing
difficulties in the airline industry and privatization in particular it
has been more and more difficult to receive gratis tickets for team members
and supplies.
Particular thanks to United Airlines for donating tickets for team members
and emergency supplies!
A recent book has published on the team called `Nihon Kinkyu Enjotai`
and is available in most bookstores in Japan from Tokuma Publishing.
The Japan Helpline is urgently requesting assistance in the form of emergency
supplies to Indian Ocean Earthquake - Tsunami.
Supplies urgently needed include:
Sleeping bags, tents, canned and instant food, bottled water, home
medical kits, blankets, towels, soap.
Additional items needed include:
Portable radios, batteries, flashlights, portable telephones,laptop
computers, PBX Telephone system, printers, satellite telephone, mileage
coupons, unused prepaid cards/NTT, etc.
Most urgently needed are two satellite telephones for immediate use
on site.
Items are requested to be put one type per box with contents clearly
stated on outside of box and 1,000 Yen for processing included in the
box.
Volunteers needed include:
Those able to assist on site and those able to help in Tokyo in sorting
relief supplies, webmasters able to donate some time maintaining websites.
III. Contacts
To Volunteer: mailto help@jhelp.com
To Help:
Emergency Supplies: Operation Sumatra, Box 65 Azabu, Tokyo, Japan 106-8691
Donation: Postal Furikae 00160 7 162438 Nihon Kinkyu
Enjotai or CPO 833, Tokyo, Japan 100-8692
Website sponsors: mailto:help@jhelp.com
or Call 03-5780-1111/1113
