Support for quake

Support for quake-hit Kumamoto grows in Taiwan

A number of individuals and businesses in Taiwan have expressed their support for the Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto following Tuesday's powerful earthquake.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world's largest contract chipmaker, has a plant in the prefecture, which is also a popular destination for tourists from Taiwan. Taiwan media outlets have provided extensive coverage of the quake.

President Lai Ching-te expressed his intention on Thursday to make a personal donation worth about 6,200 dollars.

Taiwan's foreign ministry announced a plan on Friday to donate roughly 155,000 dollars. The ministry opened a bank account on Saturday to accept contributions from the public.

The leader of Taiwan's largest opposition party, the Kuomintang, Cheng Li-wun, visited the Taipei office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association on Friday. She expressed her intention to personally make a contribution worth more than 31,000 dollars.

The operator of Taiwan's high-speed railway service, which introduced Japan's Shinkansen technologies for the first time outside Japan, and municipal governments, have made similar announcements.