Taiwan is willing to help if Japan needs assistance, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off Fukushima on Saturday.
In a message written in Japanese on her Twitter account, Tsai said she hoped that “our friends in Japan are safe” and that Taiwan is always willing to support and help Japan.
“Taiwan will always be there if the Japanese people need us,” the president wrote.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s office in Taipei posted on Facebook a screenshot of Tsai’s Twitter page thankng her for her message of support.
Taiwan is always the first country to root for Japan whenever it encounters problems or difficulties, the association wrote, adding that even during the Lunar New Year holiday, when Taiwanese are having family gatherings, they would not forget to show their concern for their neighbors.
“Because of your support, we believe we can make it and come out of the disaster safely. Thank you, Taiwan,” the association wrote.
Meanwhile, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake shook Taiwan’s southeastern coast at 12:25pm yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said.
There were no reports of damage or injuries, it said.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 52.2km northeast of Taitung County Hall, at a depth of 40.4km, the Seismology Center said.
The earthquake’s highest intensity, which gauges the actual strength of the shaking felt on land, was in Taitung County’s Chenggong Township (成功), where it measured 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale.
Early yesterday morning, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck Hualien, registering an intensity of 3 in Tongmen Village (銅門) and 2 in Taroko Gorge and Hualien City.
No immediate damage or injuries were reported.
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