Tokyo: Representative Dr. Tsewang Gyalpo Arya of the Liaison Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Hasegawa of the Tibet House visited the Japan Red Cross office in Shinjuku and handed over a sum of Yen. 228,000/-as donation from the Tibetans in Tokyo and neighbouring prefectures for relief work in the earthquake-affected Noto Peninsula in northwestern Japan.
Representative Arya explained that the Tibetan community in the region is small, but the community wants to show its solidarity with the Japanese brothers and sisters at this difficult time through prayers and small donations.
Matsuda Shigeo and Nakamura Youji of the Shinjuku Red Cross Office thanked the Tibetan community for the donation and promised to deliver the amount to the affected region at the earliest. They also explained the situation in the region and the progress of the relief works.
On 1 January afternoon, the Noto peninsula in Kanazawa prefecture of Northwestern Japan suffered a massive earthquake of 7.6 magnitude which claimed more than 240 lives and rendered many homeless. The government and the local people are doing their best to recover from the disaster.
The Tibetan community in Japan organised a prayer gathering in Tokyo with Japanese and Chinese friends earlier to pray for the victims and quick recovery from the tragedy.
Report submitted by the Office of Tibet, Japan