The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) stated today that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Wu, pointed out that since the Kumamoto earthquake in Japan on July 28, Taiwanese society has continued to pay attention to the reconstruction efforts in the disaster area. The accumulated donations have exceeded 200 million New Taiwan Dollars (NTD), fully demonstrating Taiwan’s deep friendship with Japan.
The earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan, resulted in many houses collapsing and roads being damaged. The Kumamoto Prefectural Government announced that as of 7:30 a.m. today, the number of fatalities from last week’s strong earthquake has increased to 39.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China issued a press release stating that Joseph Wu met with visiting guests of the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies and Fukawa-kai on the 7th. The guests included former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, Member of the House of Representatives, Liberal Democratic Party General Affairs Chairman Junko Kawamura, Member of the House of Councillors, former Minister of Justice Takaichi Yamashita, Member of the House of Representatives Takashi Otsuka, Member of the House of Representatives Yusuke Kashima, Vice Chairman of the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies (JFSS) Kazuhisa Shimada, and Lin Yi, Permanent Honorary Chairman of Fukawa-kai and advisor to the Republic of China Strategic Consultants.
Joseph Wu stated that since the Kumamoto earthquake in Japan, Taiwanese society has continued to focus on the reconstruction of the disaster area. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately set up a donation account, and to date, over 15,000 donations totaling more than 200 million NTD have been received, not including contributions from companies such as TSMC, fully demonstrating Taiwan’s deep friendship with Japan. Member of the House of Representatives Itsunori Onodera expressed his gratitude for this.
Leading semiconductor foundry TSMC announced on the 4th that with the joint efforts of its employees and supplier partners in Kumamoto, the JASM wafer fab has been swiftly and fully restored. To support post-disaster recovery in Kumamoto, TSMC has decided to donate 250 million Japanese Yen for relief efforts. At the same time, the TSMC Charity Foundation has launched an employee fundraising campaign.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies and Fukawa-kai have long been concerned about the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and emergency response capabilities. This time, they invited Japanese parliamentarians and experts from Taiwan and the United States to conduct a policy simulation in Taiwan for the first time, fully demonstrating the high level of importance all parties place on maintaining regional peace and stability. This will help deepen cooperation and exchange of experiences among Taiwan, Japan, and the United States, contributing jointly to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Lai Ching-Te stated on July 31 that after the Kumamoto earthquake, both he and Vice President Shao Mei-Chin, Premier Su Tseng-Chang, and Vice Premier Chen Li-Chun have made donations, while mayors and county magistrates have also expressed their goodwill. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established a donation account and encourages industries, businesses, and the public to contribute to help Japan overcome this difficult situation.
During a donation ceremony on the 6th, Joseph Wu, on behalf of the government of the Republic of China, handed over 5 million NTD in relief funds to Representative Kaneo Katayama of the Taipei office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association. Witnessed by Hong Ying-chieh, Secretary-General of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, the Deputy Representative of the Taipei Office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, and Huang Yu-lin, Secretary-General of the Association of Chinese and Japanese Relations.
Representative Kaneo Katayama expressed sincere gratitude once again for the warmth and assistance shown by all sectors of Taiwan immediately after the Kumamoto earthquake. From the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the Noto Peninsula earthquake in 2024, to the Hualien earthquake in Taiwan in April of the same year, whenever there is a disaster in either country, Taiwan and Japan have always been able to reach out to each other, highlighting the deep friendship and mutual assistance between the two sides.