Taiwan on Thursday donated 2 million face masks to Japan for provision to frontline medical personnel to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The masks donated by the government to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association will be shipped to Japan in the near future, the ministry said, in order to help Japan fight the epidemic.
The move comes after Taiwan, which has been recognized internationally for its actions in containing this pandemic, earlier this month donated 10 million face masks to the United States, European nations, and diplomatic allies.
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The Foreign Ministry said the donations are being undertaken in the spirit of “Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping.”
The donation to Japan follows requests for Taiwanese assistance from Japanese parliamentarians and private organizations.
The ministry said Taiwan hopes to strengthen cooperation with Japan on various epidemic-related issues, including information sharing, research and development of vaccines and medicines, and exchange of medical experts.
As of Thursday, Japan has seen more than 9,800 coronavirus infections confirmed, including about 700 from a foreign cruise ship that was quarantined near Tokyo. The number of infection cases rose by over 400 on Thursday, including 149 in Tokyo.
By contrast, Taiwan has only 395 cases. On Thursday, for the second time this week, it reported no new infection cases.
