TOKYO – The United States has requested Japan to name its representatives for a joint task force that will oversee the creation of a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief hub in Japan, officials confirmed on August 22.
In letters viewed by Reuters, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel asked Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defence Minister Minoru Kihara to designate four Japanese officials for the task force and propose a date for the group’s first meeting.
“The effects of climate change are bringing devastation and destruction to communities around the world with ever-greater frequency and ferocity,” Ambassador Emanuel said in a statement to Reuters, underscoring the importance of the hub.
The humanitarian hub, agreed upon in April by US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, is intended to support disaster relief efforts. Supplies stored at the facility could also be deployed to assist civilians displaced by conflicts in Asia, particularly amid growing concern over Chinese military activity near Taiwan.
In his letter, Ambassador Emanuel listed the US representatives on the task force, including Lieutenant General Roger Turner, US Marine Corps commander in Japan, Colonel Patrick Biggs, head of the US Army Corps of Engineers in the country, and Heath Cosgrove, regional head of USAID.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter.