A fundraiser was held in front of Nagoya Station on the 6th to help Taiwan, which has suffered significant damage from the earthquake on the 3rd of this month.
The fundraiser was carried out by a Japan-Taiwan exchange group based in Nagoya, and about 30 people gathered in front of Nagoya Station, including Taiwanese residents of Aichi Prefecture and members of the group, dressed in traditional costumes.
The participants held banners that read in Chinese, ``We may be in Japan, but our hearts are together,'' and people passing by the station stopped their feet as they chanted, ``Please support Taiwan.'' They stopped and responded to donations.
A male university student said, ``I saw how difficult it was on the news, so I wanted to help in any way I could.''
Another woman in her 50s said, ``When the earthquake occurred in Japan, Taiwanese people helped us, so I wanted to return the favor.''
Members of the group will personally visit Taiwan next month to deliver all of the donations raised to the Taiwanese authorities.
Zhang Li, who works at a Taiwanese restaurant in Nagoya and is from Hualien Prefecture, near the epicenter of the earthquake, participated in the fundraiser and said, ``I'm so moved and happy with all the help, I can't stop crying. I'm really grateful.'' "I'll do it," he said.
Hidehiko Kato of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Salon, which conducted the activity, said, ``Due to the extensive damage, we decided to hold a fundraiser in Nagoya because we could not stand still.I hope that the circle of support will expand.'' ” he said.