Taiwan pledged Thursday to donate 60 million yen ($418,800) to Japan to help its disaster relief after a powerful earthquake jolted Japan's central Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas on New Year's Day.
At a press conference in Taipei, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said the government donation would be for the Japanese authorities' rescue operations and post-disaster reconstruction work, in hopes of returning life to normal as soon as possible.
"Taiwan and Japan have close relations. Japan has always been the favorite country of the Taiwanese people," Wu said, adding that both sides have been acting like family members in recent years by lending a helping hand to each other in times of need.
In addition to the aid, the self-ruled island's Health and Welfare Ministry has set up a fundraising campaign that is asking Taiwanese people to donate to assist those affected by the temblor in central Japan, Wu said.
Kazuyuki Katayama -- chief representative of Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association's Taipei office, Tokyo's de facto ambassador to the territory -- also attended the press conference. Katayama thanked Taiwan for its help and praised the relief efforts.
The association, headquartered in Tokyo and with offices in Taipei and Kaohsiung, represents Japanese interests on the island, in the absence of official diplomatic ties.
Since the magnitude-7.6 quake hit the peninsula Monday and caused extensive structural damage, the death toll has risen above 80.
Meanwhile, Beijing on Wednesday sent a message of condolence to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the earthquake victims and offered sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency.
In the message, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said he was shocked to learn of the quake, which caused heavy casualties and property loss, adding that China is willing to provide necessary assistance to Japan's relief activities, according to the Xinhua report.
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