The Club's Connections group has made donations to help communities hit by natural disasters in Japan and Hawaii.

Connections donated ¥2 million to the Japanese Red Cross to support those affected by the large earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture's Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day.

It also contributed ¥600,000 to the recovery efforts of the Maui town of Lahaina that was devastated by wildfires last August.

The funds were distributed to the Lahaina Jodo Mission, a 111-year-old Buddhist temple destroyed in the disaster, and the Maui Strong Fund.

“There is so much to be done in Lahaina, and the biggest issue at the moment is getting adequate housing for those who lost their homes,” says Club Member Alexander Jampel, chair of the Japan-America Society of Hawaii (JASH).

Image: (l–r) Alexander Jampel, Jodo Mission bishops Toshiyuki Umitani, Kosen Ishikawa and Clark Watanabe and JASH President Reyna Kaneko