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X Japan’s Yoshiki donates 10 million yen to disaster relief after western Japan’s torrential rain

Master Blaster Jul 14, 2018
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One more step in the musician and band’s mission to help children in pain.

Last week a large part of western Japan was hit with extreme torrential rain caused by a passing typhoon. Certain areas were especially overwhelmed, receiving a month’s worth of rainfall in a little over an hour, and thousands of homes were damaged in the ensuing floods and landslides, with the death toll reaching 200 and counting.

Now that the rain has stopped, relief efforts are underway, but hampered by the current extreme heat and damage to transportation routes. On 10 July, the Japanese Red Cross Society announced they would be accepting donations for support to affected areas.

One of the first to step forward was none other than the multi-talented Yoshiki of X Japan. Hearing the news while in Los Angeles, he tweeted his sentiments.

▼ “I just heard on the American news. I pray for the souls of those who died. And I hope the damage caused by the heavy rain will not spread further.”

先ほどアメリカのニュースで知りました。
亡くなった方のご冥福をお祈りします。そしてこれ以上豪雨による被害が広がらない事を祈っています。

"Record torrential rains across western and central Japan unleashed flooding and... The New York Timeshttps://t.co/POvtxYiXrB

— Yoshiki (@YoshikiOfficial) July 8, 2018

While prayers for those lost is nice, it should always take a back seat to actions to help those still alive. So, Yoshiki also donated a sizable 10 million yen (US$89,000) to the Japanese Red Cross Society through his own charity organization The Yoshiki Foundation America.

This is but the latest in a series of generous donations made for various disasters over the years. Following the devastating Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011, Yoshiki raised 11 million yen ($98,000) by auctioning off his crystal piano which he used during X Japan’s final concert.

▼ Yoshiki playing “Endless Rain” on the crystal piano during their farewell concert

In 2015, Yoshiki, along with the rest of X Japan, donated over 28 million yen ($250,000); their entire take from two summer festival performances, to the Tohoku region.

He continued to support reconstruction of the area in 2016 by selling one of his prized drum kits for six million yen ($53,000). He also gave up 10 million yen after the Kumamoto Earthquake of 2016 to help rebuilding projects there as well.

Also, lest you think his generosity is only towards Japan, Yoshiki also donated $25,000 to help Texans overcome the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey as well as another $100,000 donation for them made through the MusiCares Foundation.

It’s easy to assume with Yoshiki’s refined lifestyle and globetrotting ways that he’s just another rich person tossing money at problems willy-nilly. However, his altruism is uniquely genuine and stems from his own tragic past.

Yoshiki had to cope with the suicide of his own father while only in elementary school. After overcoming that pain and finding success he has vowed to help give power to children who might be facing the similar despair and suffering that he had to. He has said that as long as he is an artist, he will continue to give back.

It’s not like people needed another reason to like the guy, but in addition to the respect given the rock star, many felt inspired to help out as well.

“Much respect, Yoshiki.”
“Yoshikiiiiiiii!”
“Thank you! I am proud of your quick action and will help too.”
“Thank you for helping to rebuild. I will do my best too!”
“Let’s all try to help together!”

While the donations themselves are great, the true power of Yoshiki’s kindness is reminding all of us that we can help too. If you’d like to donate to the Japanese Red Cross Society’s efforts in Western Japan, give what you can via the information provided below. If we all pitch in, even a little bit goes a very long way.

Donation information
The Japan Red Cross Society is only taking donations by bank transfers which can be made to the following account
Account name: The Japanese Red Cross Society
Bank name: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Branch name: Ginza Branch
Location: 6-10-1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0061, Japan
SWIFT CODE: SMBCJPJT
Account number: 026-7176649
Reference: Japan Floods and Landslides 2018（Please specify it when making transfer）

For further information, such as the issuing of receipts, please check their English website.

Source: Oricon News, Hachima Kiko
Featured image: Twitter/@YoshikiOfficial