Japanese Lt. Colonel Takahashi Yosuke said the Turkish people’s strength and hope in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes have given him courage and made him love the country more than ever, according to the Japanese Embassy in Türkiye.
“I came here from Japan to support the Turkish people, but I got strength from you instead. The power, courtesy and hope you’ve displayed during these tough times have given me courage. I already loved Türkiye and I love it even more now,” the Japanese embassy quoted the Lt. Col. as saying on Twitter on Thursday.
Yosuke was part of Japan’s emergency team, which was sent to Türkiye to help with earthquake efforts.
His love for the country was also displayed in a badge on his arm, which had a picture of the Republic of Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and a phrase saying “Our love for blue started with a pair of blue eyes from Thessaloniki,” in reference to Atatürk’s blue eyes and his hometown in Greece.
Japan sent a Disaster Relief Rescue Team, consisting of 18 people just a day after two major earthquakes rocked southeastern Türkiye. The country also provided emergency humanitarian assistance and established a field hospital with 25 tons of medical supplies and 75 health staff in total. Tents, sleeping bags, and blankets were also distributed among earthquake survivors in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay. Meanwhile, 73 emergency staff took part in the search and rescue efforts.
The Turkish Embassy in Japan issued a message after the Japanese search and rescue team returned home on Wednesday, saying that they welcomed the team with other Turkish citizens in the country.
"Türkiye will not forget Japan's help during this period," the Embassy said, thanking all staff for their efforts.
Two major earthquakes with magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 shook Türkiye's southeast on Feb. 6, destroying buildings and killing over 35,000 people.
Türkiye and Japan enjoy favorable bilateral relations. Japan was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Türkiye after the Ottoman Empire was abolished. One year later in 1925, Türkiye opened its first embassy in Tokyo. After decades of strong relations, both countries upgraded their ties to the level of "strategic partnership" in 2013 and Japan declared 2019 as the Turkish Culture Year.
