Many local governments in Japan are working to send support to Taiwan, which was hit by a major earthquake on Wednesday.
Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase sent a letter of sympathy on Thursday to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the country.
In the letter, Hase said he wants to see the suffering of people impacted by the quake eased as soon as possible and hopes a smooth restoration and reconstruction process.
Ishikawa Prefecture received ¥60 million in government aid and around ¥2.5 billion in private donations from Taiwan after a massive quake rocked the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day.
In his letter, Hase expressed his gratitude for the help from Taiwan, saying that his prefecture is working on recovery and reconstruction efforts thanks to such support.
Elsewhere, the city government of Fukushima set up donation boxes while opening a dedicated bank account for donations to Taiwan.
“We want to deepen our ties with Taiwan,” Fukushima Mayor Hiroshi Kohata said, while recalling that the city received generous aid from Taiwan after a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
Donation boxes were also set up in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, where a hospital was rebuilt in 2015 using financial aid from Taiwan and others after the 2011 tsunami.
Stressing that it is the town’s turn to return the favor, Minamisanriku Mayor Jin Sato said, “We ask residents to provide donations to Taiwan, which has helped us rebuild the hospital, a place that saves our lives.”
Iwate Prefecture plans to send ¥1 million in condolence money to Taiwan after it received support from Taiwan following the 2011 disaster. In addition, the prefecture started collecting donations from staff on Friday.