Japan's industry minister thanks Kuwait for oil aid+

TOKYO, April 27 Kyodo -
Japanese industry minister Banri Kaieda on Wednesday thanked Kuwait for offering 5 million barrels of crude oil and oil products in grant aid to Japan to help the country recover from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Kaieda expressed his appreciation to Kuwaiti Ambassador to Japan Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi during their meeting at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Tokyo.
''We intend to use it to help the people in disaster-stricken areas,'' Kaieda said.
On April 18, Kuwait's oil minister, Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, announced the country's decision on the aid worth around $550 million, or some 45 billion yen, based on current international crude oil prices.
The Kuwaiti envoy will also travel to Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture on Thursday to donate 240 soccer balls, stationery such as notebooks and pencils, and relief goods to elementary and junior high school students in the disaster-stricken city, the Foreign Ministry said.
The balls will be distributed to all the elementary and junior high schools in Kesennuma through the city's board of education. Former Japan midfielder Tsuyoshi Kitazawa will accompany the ambassador, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto met Wednesday with visiting Qatari International Cooperation Minister Khalid Bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah and Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki, respectively, expressing his gratitude for the assistance offered by the two countries to disaster-hit Japan.
The Qatari minister told Matsumoto that his country will offer $100 million to help Japan's reconstruction. The Middle Eastern nation has also said it is ready to provide about 4 million tons of liquefied natural gas to Japan over the period of one year in addition to its annual supply of up to 8 million tons.
Macedonia has provided 100,000 euros (about 12 million yen) to Japan through the Japanese Red Cross Society. Milososki told Matsumoto that he came to Japan to demonstrate that businesses are operating as usual in the Asian country, the Foreign Ministry said.