IDF team in Japan.
IDF team in Japan.Israel news photo: IDF Spokesperson

The IDF medical aid delegation to Japan has concluded its activities and the delegation's members are returning to Israel. The delegation, which provided medical services to the people of the disaster-stricken Minami-Sanriko area for two weeks, is expected to land at the Nevatim air base on Tuesday morning.

The IDF website reported the IDF has decided that most of the medical equipment brought to Japan, including X-ray equipment, will be left behind to be used by local medical officials to continue serving the population of the Minami-Sanriko area.
 
The IDF medical delegation arrived in the disaster zone two weeks ago and included members of the IDF Medical Corps, search and rescue specialists, and logistics and communications personnel from the Home Front Command.
 
Over the past two weeks, IDF medical personnel treated around 220 patients at the IDF medical clinic.
 
On Monday, the IDF delegation held a ceremony at which the keys to the medical clinic were handed over to Japanese medical personnel.
 
The ceremony, which was covered by many local media outlets, was attended by local officials, including the mayor of Minami-Sanriko, who was the first person to receive treatment at the clinic, and the mayor of Kurihara.
 
"The clinic you are leaving here is going to be a cornerstone of the recovery of our city which suffered a major disaster," the Kurihara mayor said. "I have no doubt that your important contribution to the recovery of this place as well as the courteous treatment you gave our people will constitute an important milestone in relations between Israel and Japan."