Japan to assist typhoon-hit Philippines

TOKYO - Japan will send a medical team to the Philippines to assist the hard-hit area, where powerful typhoon "Haiyan" has left hundreds of people dead, local media reported.

"We are making arrangements with the Philippine government to dispatch our disaster relief team as early as today," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference, promising to extend as much support as they can.

According to Suga, the disaster relief team consists of around 25 medical experts including doctors, nurses and pharmacists. On Sunday, two officials from the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have been sent to the Philippines to assess the situation.