A hotel in Hualien County is badly damaged during the April 3 earthquake off eastern Taiwan in this photo taken on Thursday. CNA photo April 11, 2024
Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association President Tanizaki Yasuaki hands a list of donors that collectively pledged US$1 million to Frank Hsieh, Taiwan's representative to Japan, in Tokyo Wednesday.CNA photo April 10, 2024
Taipei, April 11 (CNA) Public and private donations from South Korea and Japan are pouring in following a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Hualien County on April 3 and was felt across Taiwan.
South Korea on Thursday pledged to a donation of US$500,000 in response to the largest earthquake to hit Taiwan in nearly 25 years, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
The South Korean move came on the heels of Japan which announced on April 5 that it would donate US$1 million to assist with relief efforts.
"The ROK government hopes that the humanitarian aid to Taiwan will support the recovery of the affected areas and help residents in those areas swiftly return to their daily lives," the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release Thursday.
Later on the same day, Taiwan's MOFA in a statement expressed sincere gratitude for the ROK's donation of US$500,000 to assist reconstruction work in the earthquake-stricken eastern county of Hualien.
A day earlier, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association President Tanizaki Yasuaki handed a list of donors that collectively pledged US$1 million to Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Taiwan's representative to Japan.
At the ceremony, Yasuaki noted that Taiwan's government announced in January a donation of 60 million Japanese yen (US$391,792) to assist with reconstruction efforts in Japan's Ishikawa prefecture after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake on Jan. 1.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's general public donated more than 2.5 billion yen to help those affected by the quake in Japan, Yasuaki noted, saying it was very helpful and the people of Japan were moved.
The relief aid Japan provided to Taiwan will not only help those affected by the quake, but also deepen the bond between the two, he added.
In return, Hsieh said his office has received phone calls and e-mails from the Japanese public showing support for earthquake-struck Taiwan which are deeply appreciated.
Hsieh added he believes the great concern and support expressed by the Japanese government and people following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake represents a "virtuous circle."
He said the Taiwanese representative office is preparing to open a bank account in Tokyo to receive donations.
In the private sector, LY Corp., a Japanese tech company formed in October 2023 through the integration of Line Corp. and Yahoo Japan Corp., that opened a special page to receive donations for Taiwan's earthquake relief on the Yahoo! Online fundraising platform April 4 had raised more than 200 million yen as of Wednesday evening.
In addition, Japanese technology conglomerate Rakuten Group's online fundraising page which was established on April 5 had raised 28.87 million yen as of Wednesday evening.
On Thursday, Toyota announced a donation of 30 million yen for earthquake relief and will work with TSMC Charity Foundation to visit Hualien and provide aid to those in urgent need.
In related news, a designated account established by Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare on April 4 for private donations to help with disaster relief work had received nearly NT$720 million (US$22.35 million) in donations as of 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief.
The April 3 quake resulted in 16 deaths, left three people missing, as well as 1,155 individuals with injuries, as of Wednesday 6 p.m., according to the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC).
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