Japanese aid team fans out in Leyte

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Admiral Hisanori Sato, right, commander of Japan’s joint task force for Philippine disaster, is greeted by Philippine Air Force Maj. Gen. Romeo Poquiz, left, upon arrival at Tacloban airport on Nov. 25, 2013 to take part in the relief and rehabilitation efforts for typhoon-ravaged Tacloban city. Japan’s mobile medical team headed out of Tacloban on Saturday, Nov. 30, to set up a free medical clinic for some 200 people in MacArthur town, Leyte. AP PHOTO/BULLIT MARQUEZ

NAGA CITY, Philippines—The Japanese mobile medical team headed out of Tacloban City on Saturday to set up a free medical clinic for some 200 people in MacArthur town, Leyte.

Namekawa Hirochika, Japanese Embassy officer based in Metro Manila, said in a phone interview the Self-Defense Force of Japan sent its mobile medical team composed of five doctors and five nurses to Barangay (village) Batug in MacArthur.

Norifumi Kondo, another embassy officer, said some 70 children received antimeasles vaccinations, while adult patients were treated for ailments ranging from a cold and cough to stomach problems.

In a phone interview, Kondo said the Japanese government was coordinating with the Philippines’ Department of Health to identify other areas in the Visayas direly in need of medical care.

He said they wanted to maximize their mission to help the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

Lt. Col. Fumio Tokubuchi, public information officer at Japan’s Ministry of Defense, said in an interview in Tacloban City the entire Japanese humanitarian mission to the Philippines involved around 1,200 personnel.

He said the mission consisted of a 20-member medical team and security personnel from the Japanese Army, Navy and Air Force.

The Japan Air Force personnel arrived on Nov. 15 primarily to transport evacuees from Tacloban to Cebu and Manila on a C-130 plane.

On Nov. 22, the medical teams and security forces arrived in Cebu City, which they made their base of operations and where they set up a mobile hospital.

Tokubuchi said their disaster response team arrived on their navy’s aircraft carrier, the DDH Osumi, the destroyer DDH Ise and the supply ship DDH Towada, all of which docked on Leyte Gulf.

Lt. Col. Kosihiko Imakiire, a doctor on the medical team, said they stayed on the Osumi from which they were transported to Cebu City every day by helicopter to conduct medical clinics.

He said the medical team was composed of a total of 10 doctors and 10 nurses.