Japan to provide relief supplies and over ¥114 million to tsunami-hit Tonga

Japan decided Thursday to send relief supplies, including drinking water and equipment for cleaning away volcanic ash, in addition to more than ¥114 million in aid to disaster-hit Tonga, after an undersea volcanic eruption caused major damage on the Pacific island.

Two C-130 transport planes operated by the Self-Defense Forces were set to leave for Australia later Thursday to carry the relief supplies, Defense Ministry officials said.

The transport vessel Osumi will also be sent to Tonga to carry heavy equipment as soon as it is ready, they said.

The transport ship will deliver high-pressure washers to clear away volcanic ash, and carrier carts, as well as two CH-47 transport helicopters. The relief mission will involve some 300 personnel, the ministry said.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during Thursday’s parliament session that Japan will provide aid in close cooperation with Australia and New Zealand.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said six SDF liaison officers were set to depart for Australia later in the day to gather information there and coordinate with other supporting countries.

“We would like to offer support by utilizing the SDF’s experiences in disaster relief activities at home and abroad,” Kishi said at the ministry. According to the Defense Ministry, the latest SDF dispatch will be its 24th for international emergency aid activities.

The shipment of relief supplies and dispatch of liaisons comes a day after the government announced the ¥114 million ($1 million) or more grant for Tonga.

Tokyo had received a request for support from the government of Tonga following Saturday’s volcanic eruption off the South Pacific island nation, which sent tsunami waves across the Pacific.

Offers of financial aid have been made by Japan’s nongovernmental sector as well. Nippon Foundation has established a fund to collect donations in support of Tonga, while the foundation itself plans to offer ¥100 million.

Famous Japanese author Kanae Minato, who has experience of volunteering in Tonga, has donated ¥10 million to the fund. Minato once stayed in Tonga as a volunteer worker under the government-linked Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer program.

“I was supported by the love and kindness of Tongan people during my time as a volunteer and in my life after that,” Minato wrote in a comment posted on the foundation’s website. “I sincerely hope that people in Tonga will get back to their normal lives filled with smiles as soon as possible,” she said.

The Nippon Foundation plans to solicit donations until the end of July and deliver the money to Tonga via the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday that Emperor Naruhito sent a telegram of sympathy to King Tupou VI of Tonga.

The Imperial Family has had close interactions with Tonga’s royal family. The emperor visited Tonga with Empress Masako in 2015, when they were Crown Prince and Crown Princess, to attend the coronation ceremony of King Tupou VI.

On Thursday, the first aircraft from New Zealand carrying much needed aid and supplies touched down in Nuku’alofa, Tonga’s capital, in the afternoon, following cleanup efforts to remove volcanic ash from the runway at its main airport that had prevented any aircraft from landing.

Some 2G connectivity was restored to the archipelago Thursday but communications remain limited with demand exceeding capacity, the New Zealand government said, after the volcanic eruption severed Tonga’s sole undersea communications cable.

The United Nations said Thursday that about 84,000 people in the archipelago have been impacted by the disaster — more than 80% of the population of about 105,000.

One issue complicating international aid efforts is Tonga’s status as a country free of COVID-19, with fears that aid personnel may bring the virus to the archipelago and worsen the situation. The Pacific nation has so far seen only one infection with no deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

New Zealand’s Defense Minister Peeni Henare said the delivery of supplies would be “contactless,” with the aircraft expected to be on the ground for up to 90 minutes before returning to New Zealand.