Victims of the devastating earthquake that struck off northeast Japan on March 11, 2011, were remembered at an annual memorial in Taipei yesterday, the fifth anniversary of the disaster, during which the memorial organizers once again thanked Taiwan for its post-disaster assistance.
The event, organized by a group of Japanese living in Taipei, commemorates those who died in the massive earthquake and tsunami, and is a show of gratitude to Taiwan for its help. It was attended by several Japanese diplomats, as well as Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials and lawmakers.
Taiwan’s timely assistance and support in the wake of the disaster helped strengthen ties between Taiwan and Japan, one of the event organizers said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The event began with a video featuring footage of the affected areas and Japanese expressing their gratitude to Taiwan.
Japanese Chief Representative to Taiwan Mikio Numata expressed his nation’s heartfelt thanks to Taiwan, which he said was “an important friend,” and he vowed to continue to advance bilateral ties.
“Five years have passed since the earthquake, but our gratitude toward Taiwan has never diminished,” Numata said, while expressing hope that reconstruction efforts would be completed as soon as possible.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Numata said that a new hospital in Miyagi Prefecture, which was built using Taiwanese donations and opened in December last year, was “a great encouragement.”
An official from Minamisanriku, a town in the prefecture, thanked Taiwanese for their assistance in building the hospital.
“The new hospital has brought hope and light to everyone here,” the official said in a video.
Numata also offered sympathy to the victims of the Feb. 6 earthquake that rocked southern Taiwan, killing 117 people and injuring more than 500.
Association of East Asian Relations Chairman Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進), the agency that handles ties with Japan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic relations, offered sympathy to the families of the victims and hoped for a speedy recovery in the disaster-affected areas.
People attending the memorial, including some visitors from the affected areas in northeastern Japan, were offered the opportunity to lay flowers in tribute to the victims of the 2011 quake.
The magnitude 9.0 quake and subsequent tsunami killed nearly 20,000 people.
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