Local News

Kumamoto Prefecture Gov. Ikuo Kabashima met with his Shizuoka Prefecture counterpart Heita Kawakatsu at the Kumamoto prefectural offices, where the two men agreed to sign an official agreement pledging to send rescue teams to each other’s prefectures in the event of a large natural disaster. Gov. Kabashima noted that a local hospital had sent a team to the Tohoku area the day the earthquake occurred, and said that a similar arrangement would benefit both prefectures. Discussions will now begin on the specific details of the agreement.