Governor of Japan’s Kumamoto thanks Taiwan for support

• By Chen Cheng-liang / Staff reporter

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Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Takashi Kimura thanked Taiwanese for donating more than NT$300 million (US$9.47 million) to support communities affected by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the Japanese prefecture on July 28.

Kimura recorded a video message thanking people in Taiwan for their assistance, saying that Taiwanese organizations quickly launched fundraising and relief efforts after the disaster, while some groups delivered supplies and provided hot meals at evacuation shelters.

The support made local residents feel the warmth and solidarity from Taiwanese during the difficult period, he said.

Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Takashi Kimura thanks Taiwan in a video.

Screen grab from Facebook

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs began accepting public donations for the Kumamoto earthquake relief on Aug. 1. As of Monday last week, donations from the public had exceeded NT$300 million.

Separately, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, which operates a plant in Kumamoto’s Kikuyo, donated ￥250 million (US$1.57 million) to support relief and recovery efforts.

The corporate donation is separate from the NT$300 million raised through the government-backed fundraising campaign.

In his video message, Kimura also highlighted the close travel links between Taiwan and Kumamoto.

Direct flights connect Kumamoto with four Taiwanese airports — in Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, he said, adding that he hoped Taiwanese visitors would return to Kumamoto and help support its recovery through tourism.

The message underscores the longstanding ties between Taiwan and Japan and the role of Taiwanese assistance in supporting Kumamoto’s recovery.

Kimura emphasized that tourism was an important part of the prefecture’s post-disaster recovery.

Kumamoto Prefecture reported that as of Friday 38 people had died and 364 had been injured, while 43,292 homes had sustained damage.

The disaster also disrupted basic infrastructure. At one point, about 108,000 households in the prefecture were without running water.

By Thursday last week, that number had fallen to about 300 as restoration work continued, local media reported.

Transportation services have also begun to recover. The Kyushu Expressway has reopened to traffic, while full operations on the affected sections of the Kyushu Shinkansen high-speed rail are expected to resume on Sept. 18, the reports said.

A month after the earthquake, Kumamoto continues to face reconstruction and relocation challenges.

Local authorities and residents are working to restore damaged infrastructure, provide housing and support evacuees, while rebuilding communities affected by the earthquake.