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Japan Eyes Setting Up Disaster Relief Bases for Asia-Pacific Region |
| Source: |
japantoday.com |
| Source Date: |
Sunday, June 05, 2011 |
| Focus: |
Electronic and Mobile Government, Citizen Engagement, Internet Governance
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| Country: |
Japan |
| Created: |
Jun 07, 2011 |
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Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said in a speech Saturday that the country is considering setting up a disaster relief base for the Asia-Pacific region on one of its southwestern islands, based on its experience of the March 11 mega earthquake and tsunami.
Delivering his speech at an Asian security forum, Kitazawa also proposed setting up a conference for defense authorities to discuss cooperative structure in the event of a nuclear emergency.
Kitazawa said Japan is ready to set up such a base for disaster relief operations at the Shimoji Island airport in Miyako in Okinawa Prefecture.
Kitazawa said Japan could offer a base on one of its southwestern islands, which has good access to the Asia-Pacific region, with a stockpile of relief goods and equipment so that countries dispatching relief teams to areas devastated by large-scale disasters could use it as a base.
He also expressed willingness to introduce robots capable of operating in highly irradiated environments in the wake of the nuclear emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
During the emergency at the plant crippled by the twin disasters, Japan lacked equipment to tackle the crisis in such an environment, he said.
After the Fukushima plant was crippled, U.S.-made robots were deployed to take video footage and check radiation levels and other data inside the reactor buildings.
As for the regional stability, Kitazawa said, ‘‘Guaranteeing human rights and equality, rules for free trade and the freedom of the sea are the most important principles of global peace and economic activities,’’ in an apparent reference to China, whose military presence is rising rapidly in the region.
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Japan Eyes Setting Up Disaster Relief Bases for Asia-Pacific Region Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said in a speech Saturday that the country is considering setting up a disaster relief base for the Asia-Pacific region on one of its southwestern islands based on its experience of the March 11 mega earthquake and tsunami
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