US urges Japan to name disaster relief hub task force members

22/8/2024 13:10

        The United States on Wednesday called on Japan to name its representatives for a joint task force that will determine the location and resources for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief hub they have agreed to establish in Japan.
        
        In letters seen by Reuters on Thursday, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel asked Japan's foreign and defence ministers, Yoko Kamikawa and Minoru Kihara, to provide the names of four Japanese officials at its "earliest convenience" and urged them to propose a date for the inaugural task force meeting.
        
        Emergency supplies at the hub could also likely be used to help civilians displaced by any conflict in Asia. The commitment made in April by U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to establish the facility came amid growing concern about Chinese military drills around Taiwan.