A friend in need
Japan’s public and private sectors are pledging disaster aid to the US:
Toyota Motor Corp. led the way with 550 million yen [around US $5 million], and the government pitched in half a million dollars, as Japan rallied to assist victims of the hurricane that ripped through the southern United States.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda announced that Japan will offer up to $500,000 worth of emergency relief: $200,000 for the American Red Cross and the remaining $300,000 for the U.S. government in the form of tents, blankets, generators and other supplies.
I’m not complaining, but I am surprised by Japan’s relatively meager contribution. I would have expected Japan to have contributed $$ totalling well into the many millions.
Strange, because Japan is usually one fo the first out of the gate with large donations. Perhaps I am missing something.
Well, Japan usually gives a lot of money because it’s going to Third World countries. Its tsunami aid package was, for example, US $500 million or so in grants–but there we’re talking about Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and India.
A more comparable event might be the Great Hanshin Earthquake ten years ago. The US offered equipment and rescue personnel–in fact, I think that Japan initially rejected most offers of aid from outside Hyogo Prefecture even within Japan–but I don’t think we gave that much money. Developed countries with advanced economies tend to be more in need of manpower and supplies.