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The Nippon Foundation Calls for Donations to Support Tonga, Contributes 100 Million Yen [2022年02月07日（Mon）]
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Within days of the massive volcanic eruption and tsunami that struck the South Pacific island state of Tonga recently, The Nippon Foundation established a special emergency fund to collect funds to support its recovery. The foundation is contributing 100 million yen (about $869,000) to the fund called the Tonga Emergency Relief Fund. I am also pleased to announce that Ms. Kanae Minato, a popular Japanese writer of crime fiction and thrillers, has donated 10 million yen (about $86,900) to launch the fund. She worked as a volunteer in Tonga under the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program for about two years from late 1996. The eruption of the underwater Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano on January 15 was likely the biggest volcanic event recorded since Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, experts said. Tongan Prime Minster Siaosi Sovaleni has said "an unprecedented disaster hit Tonga," with a volcanic mushroom plume extended to cover all of the country's roughly 170 islands−of which 36 are inhabited−impacting the entire population of more than 100,000 people. Ms. Minato said： “I would like to express my sympathies to the people of Tonga. I have received love and kindness from many people in Tonga, first during my time with the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and over the years since then.” “I consider this my turn to give something back, and am pleased to be able to help The Nippon Foundation establish this fund. I sincerely hope that the people of Tonga will be able to return to their daily lives as quickly as possible and smile once again,” she added. Tonga’s royal family and Japan’s imperial family have historically had a long and close relationship. My late father, Ryoichi Sasakawa, served as Tonga’s honorary consul in Tokyo. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, Japan received 11,534,778 yen (about $100,000) of assistance from the Tonga Red Cross Society and 200,000 paʻanga (about $78,000) from the Tongan government and citizens, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. We hope that many people will contribute to the Tonga relief fund. With administrative and other indirect costs being borne by us, all donations in their entirety will be used to support Tonga’s recovery from the volcanic eruption and tsunami. Since the foundation started the Tonga relief campaign on January 19, a total of 19,598 individuals or organizations have donated 72,777,002 yen (about $608,000) to the fund as of February 4. I would like to thank all the donors for their generosity. We have tentatively set the deadline for donations as July 31, 2022. Here is how you can donate via bank transfer or credit card:
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