The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a "Non-governmental Disaster Relief Donation Ceremony for the Kumamoto Earthquake in Japan" today (17th). It was presided over by Foreign Minister Lin Jialong. Donations totaling more than NT$300 million from all walks of life in Taiwan were transferred to Japan on behalf of the Japanese side.
A strong earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale occurred in the Kumamoto area of Japan on the afternoon of July 28, causing serious disasters. President Lai Ching-te, Vice President Hsiao Meiqin, and Executive Director Zhuo Rongtai took the lead in personally donating NT$200,000. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also donated NT$5 million on behalf of the government to provide disaster relief to the Japanese government. Under the instruction of President Lai, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially launched the initiative on August 1. The "0728 Japan Kumamoto Disaster Relief Project" commissioned the International Cooperation and Development Foundation (CCICED) to conduct a public solicitation. As of August 31, more than NT$300 million, equivalent to more than 1.4 billion yen, was raised in one month, all of which was invested in the reconstruction of Kumamoto. Including the Asian Federation of Taiwan Chambers of Commerce, overseas Chinese leaders and overseas Chinese associations from all over the country have also responded to support in different forms.
Lin Jialong presided over the donation ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. On behalf of the people and government of Taiwan, he expressed his most sincere condolences and condolences to the Japanese people affected by the Kumamoto earthquake. In his speech, he said that as TSMC and the semiconductor supply chain enter Kumamoto, more and more Taiwanese people go to work and live there. "The safety of Kumamoto is a common concern of Taiwan and Japan."
He said that whenever Taiwan and Japan encounter major disasters, they always lend a helping hand to each other as soon as possible and share weal and woe. From the 921 Earthquake, the 311 Great East Japan Earthquake to the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, Taiwan and Japan have never been absent when they need each other most; Taiwan and Japan are in the same Taiwan In the first island chain where winds and earthquakes occur frequently, how to improve the resilience in the face of natural disasters has always been an important issue that must be faced together. We look forward to continuing to work together to deepen cooperation in the fields of disaster prevention, disaster reduction, disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction in the future, so that both parties can become a powerful force to protect each other.
Lin Jialong also said that when the recovery work in the disaster area comes to an end, the Taiwanese people will definitely invite their friends and friends to visit again and work hard to cheer for Kumamoto.
Kazuyuki Katayama, representative of the Taipei Office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, thanked Lin Jialong, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Council for International Cooperation, the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, and all Taiwanese people who generously donated funds. He said that on July 31, three days after the earthquake, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately set up a disaster relief donation window and provided a donation of 5 million yuan on August 6. Such a rapid response was deeply touching.
Katayama said that this disaster relief has also received support from Taiwan's government and people, as well as from all walks of life. For example, TSMC donated 250 million yen, and Taiwan High-Speed Railway also donated 20 million yen. These Taiwanese companies, which have deep connections with Japan and even Kumamoto, extended a strong helping hand to the disaster area. Not only did they provide financial support, but they also made the Japanese side deeply feel the heart-to-heart connection, deep trust and friendship that the people of Japan and Taiwan have established for a long time.
Katayama also mentioned that during the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Taiwan gave the world’s most enthusiastic support. In the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024 and the Hualien earthquake in April of the same year, both sides provided support to each other. In response to the recent floods in Hualien and Kaohsiung, various parts of Japan also provided a large amount of assistance.
Tomaki Motoshima, president of the Kumamoto Association of Taiwan, said that the Kumamoto earthquake killed 38 people and damaged more than 70,000 houses. The southern part of Kumamoto Prefecture was particularly severely affected. About 1,800 people are still forced to live in shelters. Kumamoto Prefecture is facing a severe test. Despite this, local infrastructure repair and residential reconstruction work has been gradually carried out, and various transportation infrastructure, including the Kyushu Shinkansen, have also resumed operation.
Motoshima said that Kumamoto will bear in mind the warm encouragement and support given by Taiwanese friends and will definitely stand up again. He also sincerely looks forward to Taiwanese friends visiting Kyushu Kumamoto again to see with his own eyes Kumamoto’s step-by-step progress toward rejuvenation. He also hopes that more Kumamoto friends will visit beautiful Taiwan to make two-way exchanges more lively than ever.
