- Title: CHINA: Japanese rescue team help to search for quake survivors
- Date: 18th May 2008
- Summary: (W3) BEICHUAN COUNTY, SICHUAN PROVINCE, CHINA (MAY 18, 2008) (REUTERS) A GROUP OF CHINESE RESCUE WORKERS CARRYING A BODY AND WALKING IN FRONT OF JAPANESE RESCUE TEAM WORKING IN RUBBLE A GROUP OF CHINESE RESCUE WORKERS CARRYING A BODY AND WALKING THROUGH RUBBLE WITH JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS WORKING PAN OF JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS WORKING IN A DAMAGED BUILDING A SAW CUTTING THROUGH CONCRETE JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS WORKING WITH A SAW JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS WORKING IN A DAMAGED BUILDING JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS STANDING AND WATCHING TAKASHI KOISUMI, DIRECTOR, OVERSEAS DISASTER ASSISTANCE DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION BUREAU, POINTING AT A MAP TALKING TO OTHER JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS MAP OF A RESCUE PLAN (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) TAKASHI KOISUMI, DIRECTOR, OVERSEAS DISASTER ASSISTANCE DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION BUREAU, SAYING: "I hear that Japan was the first country that China has approached when seeking international help since coming across such a disaster. I think that this means that their expectations of the Japanese international rescue team are high. We hope that we can do as much as we can in corporation with the Chinese rescue teams." VARIOUS OF JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS WORKING IN RUBBLE (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) TAKASHI KOISUMI, DIRECTOR, OVERSEAS DISASTER ASSISTANCE DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION BUREAU, SAYING: "We, the emergency rescue team are not here because we are considering which nation the aid seekers are from. Our work has nothing to do with nationality or country. Our aim is to give aid and rescue people in emergency situations. Our actions are not affected or related to any kind of history." A GROUP OF CHINESE RESCUE WORKERS CARRYING A BODY AND WALKING IN FRONT OF JAPANESE RESCUE TEAM WORKING IN RUBBLE RESCUE WORKERS WEARING JAPANESE AND CHINESE UNIFORMS WORKING TOGETHER RESCUE WORKERS WORKING ON RUBBLE FANG JUN, CHINESE RESCUE WORKER, WORKING WITH HIS TEAM MEMBERS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE RESCUE WORKER, FANG JUN, SAYING: "They are fully equipped. We have communicated very well through translators. The cooperation is going extremely well. Last night we told them our ideas, and they also told us theirs." JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS ORGANIZING THEIR EQUIPMENT CHINESE AND JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS WORKING TOGETHER JAPANESE RESCUE WORKERS HAMMERING FLOOR TOY HANGING ON POLE ABOVE RUBBLE TEDDY BEAR
- Embargoed: 2nd June 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: International Relations,Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVA1I87A4TNJIBFX6BHLDGIP3CD0
- Story Text: Japan and China put history behind in Beichuan county in Sichuan Province, where last week's earthquake killed nearly 32,500. The two rescue teams have the same goal: to save people.
"I hear that Japan was the first country that China has approached when seeking international help since coming across such a disaster. I think that this means that their expectations of the Japanese international rescue team are high. We hope that we can do as much as we can in corporation with the Chinese rescue teams," Takashi Koizumi the head of the Japanese rescue team in China said on Sunday (May 18).
Offers of help have flooded into China and rescue teams with specialized equipment have arrived from Japan, Russia, Taiwan, South Korea, the United States and Singapore. Donations from home and abroad have topped 6 billion yuan ($858 million).
China fought against Japan in the World War II. The sino-Japan relations have been up and down because of this sensitive topic. But Koizumi said history needed to be forgotten sometimes.
"We, the emergency rescue team are not here because we are considering which nation the aid seekers are from. Our work has nothing to do with nationality or country. Our aim is to give aid and rescue people in emergency situations. Our actions are not affected or related to any kind of history," he said.
Forty-year-old Chinese worker, Fang Jun agreed. They are fully equipped. We have communicated very well through translators. The cooperation is going extremely well. Last night we told them our ideas, and they also told us theirs," Fang said.
Statistics from past earthquakes show survivors have been found up to nearly a fortnight after being trapped.
China has said it expects the final death toll from the earthquake to exceed 50,000. About 4.8 million people have lost their homes and the days are numbered in which survivors can be found. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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