TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan’s Taiwan-Japan Friendship of Culture Exchange Foundation (TJFCA) donated 1.2 million yen (NT$246.85 million) to Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture on Wednesday (June 12) for disaster recovery following the 7.5 magnitude Noto Earthquake in January.
TJFCA honorary Chair Kuo Chen-hui (郭貞慧) flew to Ishikawa to meet with the incumbent governor Hase Hiroshi and handover the financial aid, Liberty Times reported. This is Tainan’s second donation to the prefecture after Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) and Tainan City Council Speaker Chiu Li-li (邱莉莉) raised 5.7 million yen in March. TJFCA also helped collect daily necessities and supplies, which have already been sent to Ishikawa.
Kuo said Taiwan is also prone to earthquakes and understands the severity of the Noto Earthquake.
The chair handed an invitation from Chiu inviting the governor to attend the 10th Taiwan-Japan Exchange Summit, which will be held in Tainan in July. The last time the summit was held in Taiwan was in 2018, in Kaohsiung.
Hase said he was excited to participate and expressed gratitude for the donations, noting that substantial aid has been received from Taiwan.
The Noto Earthquake struck Ishikawa on Jan. 1, severely damaging the cities of Suzu, Wajima, Noto, and Anamizu and killing 260 people. More than 12,000 residents were moved to evacuation centers immediately after the quake.