12/14/2011
Delivery of Kuwait''s oil donation to quake-hit Japan completed

Japan on Wednesday renewed its gratitude for unstinted assistance, and expressions of condolences and sympathies from Kuwait in the wake of the March disasters, especially the donation of five million barrels of crude oil, all of which were already delivered.
This came in a meeting here between outgoing Minister of State for Planning and Development Abdulwahab Al-Haroun and Japanese Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Keiro Kitagami. "On behalf of the Japanese government and the people, I would like to extend sincere thanks to H.H. the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti government and people for their sense of solidarity and generosity, which deeply touched and encouraged us," Kitagami said. "Your support has evidenced the strong ties between Japan and Kuwait," he said, adding that it has promoted Kuwait-Japan friendship. Kuwait's contribution of five million barrels of crude oil was decided in April upon directives of H.H. the Amir in the wake of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that left nearly 21,000 people dead or missing. The first batch of the donated oil arrived in October, and all five million barrels were already delivered to four Japanese refiners by last month, according to Kitagami. The donation was equivalent to some USD 500 million and surpassed Japan's daily consumption of 4.4 million barrels. Money to the value of the free oil are provided to the three hardest-hit prefectures in the northeastern region through the Japan Red Cross, with focusing on eight projects, such as infrastructure recovery and support for education, employment and agriculture.
Al-Haroun expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Japanese people. "The support from Kuwait demonstrates our appreciation for the past support from Japan to our country and friendship between the two countries. We also remember that, during the Iraqi invasion, Japan stood by the Kuwaiti right with vital contribution in the liberation war in 1991," he said. Al-Haroun also expressed admiration for the Japanese people for their resilience and endurance in the wake of the disasters, which "impressed the world." Kitagami and Al-Haroun shed light on the smooth growth of Kuwaiti-Japanese relations ever since they first forged diplomatic ties 50 years ago, saying that the two countries have witnessed a sustainable and growing cooperation in various areas. The both officials attended the 16th Kuwaiti-Japanese Businessmen's Committee on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait Yasuyoshi Komizo, First Secretary at the Kuwaiti Embassy in Japan Mohammed Al-Mutairi, Co-Chairs of the Kuwaiti-Japanese Businessmen's Committee Khaled Al-Sager and Hiroshi Saito. Al-Haroun arrived here on Tuesday.