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Yoshiki, Pokémon Donate to Kumamoto Earthquake Relief

The Pokémon Company and Japanese musician YOSHIKI announced donations to support relief for the July 28 Kumamoto earthquake last week. The Pokémon Company said it had donated a total of 100 million yen (about US$630,000) to Kumamoto Prefecture, the Japanese Red Cross Society, and other organizations aiding in the relief efforts of the earthquake. YOSHIKI, in turn, announced he had donated 10 million yen (about US$63,000) to the Japanese Red Cross Society for the relief efforts of the earthquake.

YOSHIKI also donated a total of 100,000 euros (about US$120,000) to the French Red Cross and Spanish Red Cross to assist emergency response and recovery efforts for wildfires in Europe. He gave a message all those affected: “Even though I have lived in Los Angeles for many years, Japan will always be my home, and Europe—especially France—has also become another home to me, Seeing people in France, Spain, and Japan facing such devastating disasters is heartbreaking. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the wildfires in France and Spain, including those who have lost their homes and the courageous people working on the front lines.”

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture around 4:27 p.m. on July 28. According to The Japan Times, the quake left about 38 people dead, 48,300 households without power, and around 84,000 households without running water. The Japan Times further reported that around 9,000 residents have been evacuated to shelters. The injured have been transported to hospitals across Kumamoto Prefecture.

Aftershocks caused an explosion at the Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima, Kumamoto around 5:50 p.m. after the initial earthquake. The Japan Times reported the explosion killed at least seven people. Nippon Paper Industries also reported nine employees were confirmed dead following a smokestack collapse caused by the earthquake.

Wildfires have spread across Portugal, Spain, and France since July. According to a BBC report, over 300,000 people have evacuated affected areas. The wildfires come as Europe sees a massive heatwave. Temperatures have reportedly reached above 40° Celsius (about 104° Fahrenheit) in France.

Sources: Press release, Pokémon's X/Twitter account, Pokémon's website, BBC, Japan Times