Disaster Response Japan Project #78468

Emergency Response to the Kumamoto Earthquake

by Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan)

Project Report | Oct 26, 2026
Helping Foreign Residents Access Support

By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director

Foreign agricultural trainees receive supplies

AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) is continuing to support foreign residents affected by the Kumamoto earthquake. Because of language barriers and limited means of transportation, foreign survivors have difficulty accessing support and information about it, and they are prone to becoming isolated in the harsh conditions following the disaster. Through door-to-door visits and other outreach, AAR checks on each person’s circumstances and connects them with the support they need.

Distributing Supplies to Technical Intern Trainees

Based on information provided by the Kumamoto Prefecture Support Center for Foreign Residents, AAR continues to distribute supplies to foreign residents affected by the disaster in Uki City, Hikawa Town, Yatsushiro City, and other areas. The main recipients are trainees from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Some distributions serve only a handful of people, while others reach around 90 trainees.

Many of them were already in difficult financial circumstances, and the burden of the disaster has been added on top. Most do not own cars and, in many cases, have only bicycles to get around. Large local supermarkets they used before the earthquake have closed or shortened their hours, and some say they cannot go grocery shopping because their workplaces are busy with the farming season.

In addition, many are not staying in evacuation shelters and find it hard to communicate in Japanese, which makes it difficult to identify what kind of support they need. For this reason, AAR uses supply distributions as an opportunity to check on each person’s living situation and connect them to other forms of assistance as needed.

Supporting a Multinational Housing Complex

A housing complex in Uki City is home to 38 people from Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The earthquake damaged the water supply and sewage systems, leaving residents without drinking water, drainage, toilets, or baths. About 20 residents found it difficult to eat non-halal relief supplies or hot meals for religious reasons, and providing multilingual information was also an issue. Some residents need particular consideration, including pregnant women and mothers with newborns. Some residents have also lost their jobs, making securing income a major concern.

AAR took charge of operating and managing a water-recycling temporary shower unit that Uki City installed in the housing complex on September 14. About 15 people come to bathe every day, and the time spent waiting their turn has become a valuable opportunity to hear about residents’ concerns.

A 31-year-old woman from Bangladesh, who received water, food, and a thermometer from AAR, gave birth to her first child just one month ago. With the drainage at her home still not restored, she told us that “I’m borrowing a friend’s home for showers and laundry, and it’s not easy to keep the baby bottles clean. I also don’t produce enough breast milk, so the support of liquid formula and other items was a great help.”

Paying Attention to Each Person’s Life

In the areas affected by the Kumamoto earthquake, many foreign residents face multiple challenges, such as language and transportation, on top of damage to their housing and utilities. Even when they appear to be managing on their own without problems, many are in fact living in difficult conditions. AAR does not simply deliver supplies but also place importance on understanding each person’s situation through conversations during distributions and through visits, and on connecting them to further support as needed.

We will continue to work with the Support Center for Foreign Residents, local support organizations, and other groups to provide support that stays close to foreign residents. We kindly ask for your cooperation with AAR’s emergency relief for the Kumamoto earthquake.

Discusssing support for the housing complex

A temporary shower at the housing complex

Links:

AAR English website

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Sep 15, 2026
Toraya Donates Yokan Sweets to Disaster Survivors

By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director

A couple who recieved yokan

About a month and a half after the Kumamoto earthquake struck, many people in the disaster-affected areas continue to face an uncertain future, living in evacuation centers or in damaged homes. AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) has been distributing yokan, a traditional Japanese confection made from sweet bean paste and agar jelly, donated by Toraya Co., Ltd., a long-established Japanese confectionery company headquartered in Tokyo, to disaster survivors.

AAR has been distributing Toraya's small yokan bars, a portable traditional sweet that can be stored for long periods without refrigeration along with other relief supplies to evacuees at shelters and disability welfare facilities affected by the disaster, as well as at the relief distribution site AAR set up in Hikawa Town, Kumamoto Prefecture. AAR has also provided the yokan to non-Japanese residents affected by the disaster. The yokan distribution has also helped raise awareness of the distribution site itself, drawing local residents who come specifically to receive Toraya's sweets.

Recipients have shared comments such as, "I was exhausted and craving something sweet—I'm so happy, since nowhere else is handing out Toraya yokan," and "My grandmother, who's been staying quietly at home during evacuation, has been enjoying it happily." Foreign survivors have also had the chance to enjoy this Japanese sweet, including a Vietnamese resident who said she loves sweets.

AAR and Toraya share a long-standing cooperative relationship through disaster relief efforts. Toraya has donated yokan to disaster survivors on multiple past occasions, including the 2004 Niigata Chuetsu earthquake, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, the 2020 Kyushu floods, the August 2021 heavy rains, and the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.

Toraya also provided support during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, when bite-sized yokan brought joy to evacuees living in shelters throughout Kumamoto City. The following year, in 2017, AAR held an "Ocha-kko Kai" (a community tea gathering) at temporary housing in Mashiki Town, where residents enjoyed Toraya's yokan together with matcha tea. Gathered around the yokan, residents chatted and connected with one another, creating a space for community among those affected by the disaster.

We would like to express our gratitude to Toraya for their many years of warm support for disaster-affected communities. AAR continues to work alongside companies, government bodies, partner organizations, and local communities to support people in the affected areas.

We kindly ask for your continued support for AAR's emergency response efforts following the Kumamoto earthquake.

Yokan displayed at the relief distribution site

Links:

AAR English website

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Sep 2, 2026
Support Center Opens for People with Disabilities

By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director

AAR Furukawa speaks at the opening ceremony

The "Disaster Area Support Center for People with Disabilities" has opened in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, to provide comprehensive support across multiple areas for people with disabilities affected by the Kumamoto earthquake. AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) will support the Center's activities, including coordinating specialized assistance and providing housing-related support.

Established Through a Network of Organization for People with Disabilities

The Disaster Area Support Center for People with Disabilities was established by the Kumamoto Disability Forum (KDF), a coalition of disability organizations across Kumamoto Prefecture. The Center is housed within the facilities of Torata no Kai, a disability welfare service provider in Yatsushiro City, and held its opening ceremony on August 17. At the ceremony, AAR Secretary General Furukawa said, "Let's work together with the local community and all the organizations involved to move forward."

Those who need support the most are often the ones least able to ask for it themselves. Mr. Higashi, the Center's director, is a lawyer who uses a wheelchair and has spent many years working on disability-related legislation and support systems. He explains that "Some people with disabilities hesitate to ask for help because they worry about being a burden to others or feel reluctant to seek help from people who don't understand their disability. Some people hesitate even to disclose their disability in the first place."

The Disaster Area Support Center for People with Disabilities works to uncover hidden needs and bring together requests for support by building a network of cooperation among organizations which assist people with disabilities. When necessary, staff members visit individuals directly to assess their situation and connect them with flexible, tailored support.

AAR will support the Center's activities together with the Japan Disability Forum (JDF), a nationwide coalition of disability organizations. Specifically, AAR plans to help coordinate with specialized organizations when expert support is needed, and to provide housing-related assistance, operating funds, and equipment and supplies. Shortly after the Center opened, AAR received a request from a person with a disability whose home now had a step caused earthquake damage and is now working to install a ramp to make the home more accessible.

Don't Hesitate to Reach Out

Although the Center is based in Yatsushiro City, it provides support across the entire area affected by the Kumamoto earthquake. To reach as many people as possible with information about its services, the Center has distributed approximately 8,400 flyers, primarily in Yatsushiro City.

AAR will continue supporting people with disabilities affected by the Kumamoto earthquake. We kindly ask for your continued cooperation with our emergency relief effort.

Emergency response team delivers relief supplies

An SOS flyer from the Disaster Area Support Center

Links:

AAR English website

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