Japan to give additional $21 mil in food aid to Horn of Africa

At this point, the intended recipients may well say, "no, thanks." They can't even provide their own citizens with uncontaminated food.

It's money.

Is this the same 'aid' they provided to Pakistan, from Fukushima?

Food aid? The stuff they can't sell here right?

When are people going to realise that this food aid doesn't help the countries it is given to? Been tons of research done on this!

And yes, perhaps they could look after their own - non contaminated food anyone? - before trying to buy support from developing nations?

Readers, please stop implying that Japan will give contaminated food as aid. That is offensive.

I think Japan has to start looking after it,s own people before others!!

A lot of African countries sent aid after the 311 quake, I'm all for the food aid. I always wondered why many of those children have bloated bellies. Is it a vitamin deficiency?

Does the Japanese government actually have $21 mil to give to Africa?

No good deed goes unpunished

I would prefer we keep our money at home and help those living on river edges with blue sheets as homes. At least those up North are getting shelter. What about all their other comrades all over Japan that are getting nothing and with no stable address cannot even get social welfare help. Sad

Japan to give $ 21 million!? Is where all the money go from all the countries donate to Japan to help to rebuild the disaster areas or to help the victims!!! Japan please keep your money for your own people during the bad economy too!

CrazyJoe, it is one of the levels of starvation. About the food, am sure it will be rice that has been in storage. It will help the food shortage and am positive it will be healthy.

@YuriOtani

domo arigatou

YuriOtani: "About the food, am sure it will be rice that has been in storage. It will help the food shortage and am positive it will be healthy."

I doubt it, but I do hope you're right, Yuri.

In Japan , the authorities are going to great expense to assure the citizens of Japan that contaminated food is safe.In fact, under government guidelines it is acceptable to eat contaminated food. Will Japanese food ie food from Japan and its waters be offered to overseas countries as 'aid' ? Food already sent to the EU and the States has been tested and rejected.

Countries without the capacity to test the food will rely on what standard?

Even with contamination are certain leaders in certain countries likely to turn away discounted food at the expense of political popularity?

Better to refuse 'food aid' from Japan I think.....

kurisupisuSep. 26, 2011 - 06:12AM JST Food already sent to the EU and the States has been tested and rejected.

Could you please give more details, like a link or something.

The Japanese government can provide $21 million in food aid to four drought-hit countries on the Horn of Africa—Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, but it can`t so anything to help their own citizens that has been affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami!! Is this a joke or what!! The Japanese government wants to raise taxes in Japan to help the people in Japan, yet they have the notion to give away large sums of money that could be used to help their own. Sooooooo sad!!

Kurisupiso, I'm also interested where you got the information regarding rejected foods. Please elaborate.

@Konsta

I am alluding to, for example the green tea sent to France that was rejected

And here is a link outling the situation

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/east-pacific/Ban-Grows-on-Japanese-Food-Imports-118687739.html

@JT the tea sent to France was an export. And it showed that Japan was willing to export contaminated produce abroad.

Is it the case that Japan will not offer food from Japan for shipment to Africa ?

JT where do you think the food will come from? It will have to be bought from somewhere.

Past cases have shown that Japanese ODA is notoriously linked to provisoes that the 'aid' be furnished by Japanese companies and only Japanese companies.The Japanese government grants aid and Japanese companies pick up the contract to deliver whatever is requested.

If that is the case for 'food aid' then it would be logical to assume that food will be exported to Africa from Japan or from Japanese companies outside Japan. Therefore the concerns of my previous posts and the other posters coming to the same conclusion should not be dismissed out of hand,should they?

Moderator: According to the government, the food aid will come from previously stockpiled rice, among other supplies. In any case, we ruled yesterday that implying that the government would deliberately ship contaminated food aid is offensive and inflammatory.

@smithinjapan

I doubt it

Based on...?

For the posters saying Japan should take care of it's own, aren't you the same people that always complain that Japan never help's foreign countries as much as it should?

Name a single developed country that donates foreign aid and has no homeless or otherwise under-priveleged people itself.

All under-priveleged people need help. Starving people come first.

As long as they send the aid in money and not actual food I think this is great.

I would imagine that the global community would be a bit uncomfortable with anything coming from Japan.

Can we really trust any kind of food aid from Japan?

Just send them the money and let them buy food from another country. Better to be safe than sorry.

Just send them the money and let them buy food from another country.

That's exactly what food aid is.

So,where is the food going to be bought from?

Japan ODA is always tied to a set of conditions - are we really so naive to believe that Japan just donates money like this ???????

I actually feel the money would be better spent being given to NPOs and NGOs such as the Africa Japan Forum and AAAG (Asia and Africa Association). I still remember a while back teaching English to groups of Japanese who were to be stationed in parts of Africa such as Kenya and Botswana, using their varied skills such as engineering and agriculture to help the locals build better wells and help farm their lands more successfully. They could really use the funds to help them.

More votes just got purchased for the next Whaling conference.

Food is food, contaminated or not...whats the average lifespan in these countries? 17 years??? Bullets get you faster than cesium

Well, if radiation is a concern, then the recipients can decline the aid. I don't see what the problem is.

I think we need new moderators! copies sent to the world freedom of speech forum, and others.... sent already!....

That Japan can afford and is willing to assist other nations in need even while carrying it;s own disasters and problems is a testment to the fact that Japan is still an economcally powerful and responsible member of he world community.

philinjapanSep. 26, 2011 - 05:37PM JST. I actually feel the money would be better spent being given to NPOs and NGOs such as the Africa Japan Forum and AAAG (Asia and Africa Association).

Its so interesting to such a wide ideology of food aid, but the main purpose of Japan is politically motivated in recent findings of oil and gas in Ethiopia and surrounding areas. No matter if a poor nation use its food aid from other nations and save their starvation, other countries are ready to exploit what they can. It won't surprise me if vast oil is found in other parts of the southern Nile region. One should expect oil and other natural resources in such areas. If this oil is extracted in the these desert areas, it would at least benefit the country as long as it does not affect the farmland.

No matter if a poor nation use its food aid from other nations and save their starvation, other countries are ready to exploit what they can.

sfjp330: That's a good point. While efforts made by huge international organizations such as the World Food Bank, and rich nations such as the U.S., Japan, the U.K., etc., sounds good, they are always only looking at ways to use their "good deeds" to further their political and economic gains in poor countries. In fact, volunteers for small NPOs do much more good than all the money given by rich conglomerates and nations. In essence, "food aid" is a farce and really doesn't work, which is why I feel more support needs to be given to volunteer groups who tend to deal at the grassroots and personal level.