By IANS,
Rio de Janeiro : Brazil has said it would donate $500,000 to help in relief measures in Japan that has been hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.
The money will be given to the Japanese Red Cross to help in humanitarian operations, which include offering supplies such as water, food, clothes and medicines to the people affected by the crisis, Xinhua reported Tuesday.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota telephoned his Japanese counterpart Takeaki Matsumoto to inform him about the donation.
Patriota said Brazil stood in solidarity with the government and people of Japan.
A large Brazilian community of 254,000 people currently lives in Japan.
Over 8,000 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 12,000 were unaccounted for after a magnitude-9 earthquake struck northeast Japan March 11, creating an enormous tsunami.