"Eric Takabayashi" <etakajp@yahoo.co.jp> wrote in message

> Speaking of gaijin, something I have not yet caught on the news which
> was made much of after the Kobe quake, where are all the international
> offers of aid and personnel?

There were not the same needs as for the Hanshin quake. Fortunately this
time, the number of persons caught under ruins was much smaller. I've read
that South-Korea had given money and the US army lent equipment.

> What is the government response?

To what question ?

>Where is
> such foreign aid in Niigata?

I've seen foreign volunteers on TV. They were preparing chai for the people
in shelters. It seems many people from all over Japan went to help, but over
there they didn't know well what they should do as that's not yet safe to go
back to the houses and they needed more big building equipment than arms.

CC