Satoshi Suzuki, Japan's Ambassador to India, has assured that his country will lend a helping hand to India as it battled the second wave of Covid-19. Satoshi said that his country will soon provide ventilators and over 300 oxygen generators to India

"Japan stands with India in her greatest time of need. We have decided to proceed with the procedure to provide 300 oxygen generators & 300 ventilators", he tweeted.

On Thursday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla had issued a media briefing wherein he called Japan a 'close partner" in international cooperation and that the country has been a close aide in time of need.

"Japan has been a close partner in whatever areas that are there in terms of international cooperation", he said. "We are happy that Japan has been responsive to many of our requirements and that Japan has offered a number of items including concentrators, ventilators, and pharma products", he added.

Ahead of this, India also received assistance from the UK and the US in the forms of oxygen supply and other necessary medical equipment.

Presently, India is struggling amid the second wave of COVID 19 surge in the country. Inter-state help has also been pouring in with oxygen cylinders delivered via railways or airlifted from state to state. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has also deployed the Indian Air Force to assist.

India on Friday recorded as many as 3,86,452 new Covid-19 cases and 3498 deaths in the last 24 hours. With this India's Covid-19 caseload now stands at 18,762,976. As many as 2,97,540 discharges have been made in the last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry.