A group of 30 Japanese university students arrived in Taiwan yesterday on a visit to express their gratitude for the nation’s support after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.
The students from Miyagi, Fukushima and Iwate prefectures — among the areas hardest-hit by the disasters — will visit several private groups and local governments to thank them for their donations and assistance after the disaster, Interchange Association, Japan said.
They will visit the Red Cross Society, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, the Greater Tainan Government and the Nantou County Government among others, the association said.
The students will provide updates on progress made in rebuilding their areas, said the association, which represents Japanese interests in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.
The group of Japanese students will also attend a reception held by the association on Monday to mark the second anniversary of the disaster.
Representatives of Taiwanese groups that provided relief have also been invited, the association said.
The visit by the students is part of a program sponsored by Japan’s foreign ministry to thank Taiwan for its support, the association said.
Under the program, more than 300 Taiwanese students have traveled to Japan over the past several months to learn more about reconstruction efforts, it added.
Before returning home on March 14, the Japanese students will meet with Taiwanese students who visited Japan under the program to share their experiences, it said.
Following the March 11 disaster, Taiwan donated about US$260 million in relief and reconstruction aid to Japan, the highest amount of any country in the world.
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