Support for Quake-Hit Turkey Spreading in Japan

Tokyo, Feb. 10 (Jiji Press)--Moves are growing in Japan to offer support for people affected by Monday's massive earthquake in Turkey.

On Tuesday, staff of the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan, a nongovernmental organization, started offering relief supplies, such as blankets and paper diapers, to affected people in Turkey.

The NGO, based in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward, which announced the launch of an emergency support program right after the quake struck, received over 20 million yen in donations by Thursday.

"Donations are coming in at a faster pace compared with past earthquakes," an AAR Japan official said. This could be because Japanese people traditionally have a high interest in Turkey and many people are paying close attention to world affairs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the official noted.

Peace Winds Japan dispatched an emergency support team of doctors, nurses and rescue staff to Turkey. Since arriving in Turkey on Tuesday, the team has been engaging in work such as distributing water, food and other goods, according to the NGO, based in the town of Jinsekikogen in the western Japan prefecture of Hiroshima.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]