The Dispatch of Japan Disaster Relief Team (JDRT) for an Earthquake in Taiwan

21 September, 1999

The Government of Japan, at the request of Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), will dispatch the first rescue team of Japan Disaster Relief Team (JDRT) to Taiwan on 21 September (expected arrival time in Taiwan 19:40 (first flight), 21:40(second flight)) for the rescue work including the evacuation of casualities of an earthquake which occured in central Taiwan in the early morning of the same day.

The JDRT, headed by Mr. M. Shirakawa, Director of Overseas Disaster Assistance Divison, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consists of 70 members from Fire-Defence Agency, National Police Agency, Maritime Safety Agency and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In addition, the second rescue team consisting of approximately 30 members is expected to join on 22 September.

In addition, upon request from the Taiwanese side through Interchange Association, the Government of Japan decided to extend an emergency grant aid amounting to US $500,000 as humanitarian assistance for the damage caused by this earthquake, the transaction of which will actually be made between Association of East Asia Relations on the Japanese side and Interchange Association on the Taiwanese side.

Related Information (Earthquake in Taiwan)