Taiwan is to donate ￥60 million (US$416,102) to Japan for earthquake rescue and relief efforts, and is to open disaster relief accounts to receive donations starting today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula of Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture on Monday afternoon, followed by multiple aftershocks.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) announced the donation to assist the Japanese government in its rescue and post-disaster reconstruction work in the hope that the people affected would be able to return to normal life as soon as possible.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
“A Japan contingency is a Taiwan contingency,” Wu said, echoing former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s statement that “a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency.”
Taiwan and Japan always lend a helping hand to each other when the other is in need, just like a family, he said.
Taiwanese will always remember the friendliness of Japan, which dispatched rescue specialists to assist in search-and-rescue operations after major earthquakes shook Tainan and Hualien a few years ago, and donated about 4.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, he said.
The Cabinet has asked the Ministry of Health and Welfare to establish disaster relief accounts to receive donations from people at home and abroad, he said.
MOFA’s offices in Japan are to maintain contact with Japanese authorities to provide further assistance and discuss the uses of the donations, he added.
Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office Chief Representative Kazuyuki Katayama expressed deep gratitude for the warmth and kindness of Taiwanese toward Japan.
When faced with difficulties, “it is indeed reassuring and encouraging to have real friends by your side who lend a helping hand,” he said. “Thank you, Taiwan.”
Those who wish to donate cash can make a deposit to the Bank of Taiwan account No. 003001727277, using online banking, an ATM or counter services, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.
Alternatively, a central bank Treasury Department account (270750) is accepting donations, which can only be made at a bank counter in person; along with a dedicated post office account (50269506) that receives donations in transfers via ATM or through post offices.
The accounts are named “Ministry of Health and Welfare Disaster Relief Account” (衛生福利部賑災專戶), it said.
Donations can also be made to the “Japan Noto Peninsula Earthquake Relief Program” (日本能登半島震災專案) at kiosks including 7-Eleven’s ibon, FamilyMart’s FamiPort, Hi-Life’s Life-ET or OK Mart’s OK Go, it said.
Overseas donations can be made to a dedicated Mega International Commercial Bank account (00709118680, SWIFT code: ICBCTWTP007) with the use specified as “Japan Earthquake Project,” it said.
To receive a receipt, donors should provide their name, phone number and address on the transfer slip and fax it to (02) 8590-6065, it said.
Donations are to be received until Jan. 19, it said.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS