Taiwan donates US$9.4m to Japan earthquake relief

Taiwan yesterday handed Japan more than NT$300 million (US$9.4 million) in public donations to help rebuild communities affected by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in late July.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) presented the funds to Kazuyuki Katayama, head of the Taipei Office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, during a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Taipei.

The July 28 earthquake killed 38 people and damaged nearly 43,000 homes.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung, front row, third right, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Representative Kazuyuki Katayama, front row, third left, Taiwan-Kumamoto Association chairman Tomoaki Motojima, front row, second left, and others attend a donation ceremony for Kumamoto earthquake relief in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times

On Aug. 1, the ministry commissioned the International Cooperation and Development Fund to open and administer a public donation account, marking the first time the ministry had asked the organization to run a public disaster-relief fundraiser.

The account raised more than NT$300 million within a month, with the entire amount to be used for recovery and reconstruction, Lin said.

“Kumamoto’s safety is a shared concern for Taiwan and Japan,” he said, adding that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and members of its supply chain have established operations there, bringing more Taiwanese to the prefecture to work and live.

Lin thanked businesses, civic groups and Taiwanese communities overseas for contributing, saying the response reflected the “family like” bonds between Taiwan and Japan.

Katayama thanked Taiwan’s government and people for the donations, saying that the swift and broad response demonstrated the close friendship between Taiwan and Japan.

Tomoaki Motojima, who heads a Taiwan-based association representing people from Kumamoto, also expressed gratitude to Taiwanese donors and spoke about the earthquake’s impact and the work needed to rebuild affected communities.

Lin said Taiwan and Japan had repeatedly assisted each other following major disasters, including Taiwan’s 1999 Jiji earthquake (also known as the 921 earthquake), Japan’s 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes and last year’s Hualien earthquake.

“At the moments when we needed each other most, Taiwan and Japan have never been absent,” he said.

Lin called for deeper bilateral cooperation on disaster prevention, mitigation, relief and post-disaster reconstruction, adding that both sides face frequent earthquakes and typhoons.

Taiwan’s government previously donated NT$5 million for disaster relief, while President William Lai (賴清德), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) each donated NT$200,000 in a personal capacity.

TSMC, which operates a plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto, separately pledged ￥250 million (US$1.6 million) for reconstruction.