Venezuela Sends Humanitarian Aid to Japan

On Wednesday, Venezuela used its national airline, Conviasa, to send a plane filled with 25 tons of food and medical supplies to the city of Nagoya, 262 kilometers from Tokyo. This donation represents an unprecdented act of humanitarian aid in the history of Venezuela-Japan relations.

According to the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the flight was the longest in Venezuelan history as it relates to aiding an affected country. The flight covered a total 16,000 kilometers in just 21 hours,  and was accompanied by a crew of 28 people.

“We are proud to say that this is the first time that Conviasa arrives in Japan and that has done so for humanitarian reasons. We are aiding the brother Japanese people and assisting 200 South Americans with their evacuation,” said Seiko Ishikawa, the Venezuelan Ambassador to Japan.

On its return flight home from Japan, the Conviasa’s Libertador Simón Bolívar Airbus A340 will fly some 200 Latin Americans – Venezuelans, Ecuadorians, Colombians, Cubans, and Bolivians, among others – back to Caracas. This flight is part of the support given by the Bolivarian Government to the Latin American community living in Japan.

An earthquake of 9 on the Richter scale and a tsunami affected Japan on March 11, 2011. The death toll has now reached 9,000 people, while more than 12,000 are still missing. An additional 320,000 people have lost their homes and are now suffering the shortages of products and the radioactive pollution of water, milk and vegetables.

The aid sent by Venezuela onsists of 167 packages of blankets, 708 packages  of mineral water, 108 packages of medical supplies, 612 cans of sardines and 578 cans of tuna. 

Translated by Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information

Edited by Venezuelanalysis.com