Japan to provide over $1 mil, relief supplies to tsunami-hit Tonga

A whole $1m? Nice. Let's not go too overboard here

So hasty. The damage has not even been assess yet.

While every penny is necessary and appreciated, surely some additional digits are missing from the figure Japan is offering?

A whole $1m? Nice. Let's not go too overboard here

Then after they donate more money, complain that gave too much and they should use it on their own people. This is a no-win situation for people that were going to complain anyways.

Can Japan’s working poor also get $1m in aid, please?

There may be some hard-headed blowback on sending ANY aid to Tonga, possibly due to the effects of the pumice on Japan’s coastal areas from the earlier eruption. How can you deny ‘people’ aid when they had no control over natural events ?

“The moves came a day after Tokyo said it received a request for support from the government of Tonga following Sat’s volcanic eruption off the South Pacific island nation that sent tsunami waves across the Pacific.” -

That’s continually ignored by those in control of the purse strings @DavidBrent 7:38am. - Let’s continue to find every relevant forum to call attention to that issue, as well:

@David Brent 7:38am: “Can Japan’s working poor also get $1m in aid, please?”

Japan should provide relief of it's own people amid the COVID pandemic FIRST!"

Zoroto 08:40 am JST

Who decided on the amount?

Sadly, Tonga has no valuable natural resources, no geo-political importance or international political clout.

Great move by Japan!

the government is considering sending drinking water and equipment for removing volcanic ash,

Considering? This happened over a wekk ago. How much longer will they be 'considering' it? The first Aussie supply ship arrived there two days ago.

We’ve known for 3 days @zichi 9:23pm, AUKUS & NZ are standing by with warehouses full of relief supplies and aircraft & ships ready to arrived as soon as runways & ports are clear by why should Japan ALWAYS wait to follow the lead of their big brothers first, and then, make half-arsed monetary ‘gestures’?

Get off your wallets, Japan! - The world responded immediately to both Hanshin & Tohoku. Time to do your part.

FRESH water is desperately needed. 80% of Tongans daily sustenance comes from their ‘home’ gardens. Both WATER and FOOD are covered in ash.

Not disputing the relief efforts ‘at the ready’ by AUKUS & NZ @zichi 9:53am but you can see from the downvotes, some folks may think it’s Tonga’s problem and, perhaps, Japan should stay out of it. As AlfieNoakes 8:44am points out:

“Sadly, Tonga has no valuable natural resources, no geo-political importance or international political clout.” -

Happy to help the affected in anyway and glad the government is doing that. Disgusted to read all the criticisms by some here. Any help should be appreciated. You might be in a position to need help one day. Pathetic ningen. Mods, please feel free to remove post coz it might hurt some. Sorry.

Tonga is a poor country with a small population, 1M USD is more than enough so goes the thinking of those that decided the amount. The monbusho scholarship has been reduced regularly based on the thinking that

it is so much that students are sending money to their home countries. Back in 1994 Undergraduate used to be 157,000yen and graduate 176,000JPY it has been reduced to Undergraduate 117,000JPY and Graduate 143,000JPY.

Would have been beneficial to have linked Today’s stories:- “more than 80% of Tonga’s population — have been impacted by the volcano’s eruption, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said, pointing to deaths, injuries, loss of homes, and polluted water. Communications have been down throughout Tonga since the eruption.”

Jan 20: “https://japantoday.com/category/world/three-of-tonga's-smaller-islands-badly-damaged-by-tsunami

First of all Tonga didn’t want any personal sent. Just send money was their request. So Japan have listen and given $ 1 million USD in cash and are wait on approval from the Tonga government when logistics can start. The Tonga air space still is ash affected. Locals are still clearing the runway. NZ will give $500,000 in Aid no cash, Australia will give 1 million in aid no cash. Once the airport is open countries can start send much needed equipment but ask for minimum person, air crews only. They only have a very limited COVID testing program and want to avoid a brake out.

Tonga reports over 60% two doses, nearly 70% at least one dose.

Those not living on the main island and yet to visit since the vaccines have been available to all . But you have travel to main island to get your vaccinations Tonga lack the transport equipment to keep the vaccines in safe condition. Outer Island don’t have the equipment to store the vaccines so everyone has to visit the main island to get vaccinated is the reason for such a very low vaccinated rate.

Work from home has created lots of JT experts lately. Please do not compare the aids with anything, Its a humanitarian aid. Japan is sending relief supplies worth $1M. Every country should if they can.

@Alfie Noakes, @ snowymountainhell

Would Tonga be so poor if East Asian countries paid for more of the tuna and other seafood they catch in Tongan waters? Not ashamed to rob a country with a small population and limited ability to police their waters, and then blame them for being poor?

Would Tongans be so dependent on imported food and water if port infrastructure projects and foreign fishing were forced to prioritize Tongans who need to fish and gather food from their limited land and coastal waters?

*relief supplies and $1M

That's generous of Japan but its a shame the Japan government response to emergency relief efforts are painfully slow .

Nonetheless every bit of help iam sure will be appreciated by Tonga.

snowymountainhellToday  07:31 am JST

While every penny is necessary and appreciated, surely some additional digits are missing from the figure Japan is offering?

A kind gesture. But remember, monetary value isn't equal everywhere. $1 million could go a much longer way in Tonga than it could in say the Philippines.

A wider picture is emerging of the destruction caused by the eruption. The local gov’t confirmed 3 deaths Tuesday, two local residents and a British woman. The toll is expected to rise as more reports come in from outlying areas. Three smaller islands, Nomuka, Mango and Fonoifua reported back that few homes remain standing after they were hit with 15m (49 ft) -high waves.

As stated earlier, Japan’s pledge of money AND relief supplies is appreciated but appears again media has shifted the spotlight to Japan with this story at 6:40am rather than they photos & story of the actual destruction tucked away at 2:15am:

“https://japantoday.com/category/world/three-of-tonga's-smaller-islands-badly-damaged-by-tsunami

Tonga has a population of 105,697. $1 million and relief help goes a long way in helping the people directly or restoration of certain important services. If this is true I would say Kudos nihon hopefully they will get the money if you know what I mean.

Get off your wallets, Japan! - The world responded immediately to both Hanshin & Tohoku. Time to do your part.

You can't act like Japan does nothing for nobody. Every World disaster they offer money, supply and humanitarian aide even to countries that despise Japan like China and South Korea.

If you think Japan's aid is low, check out the GDP of Tonga. It is 1/40,000th of the US. Tonga is only a country with a population of 105,000. Japan's aid amounts to one-fifth of Tonga's GDP. If Japan gives any more aid, Tonga's economy will be destroyed.