Japanese Manga Artist Launches Crowdfunding for Kumamoto

Tokyo, Sept. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japanese manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, best known for his “Ashita no Joe” series, and others have started a crowdfunding campaign to deliver temporary housing to people displaced by a massive earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, in July. “We need your help,” the 87-year-old said on the website of the campaign that is scheduled to run until Tuesday to raise 1.5 million yen. Drawing from his experiences of returning to Japan from the former Manchuria in present-day northeastern China after the end of World War II, Chiba said, “I learned firsthand how lonely it is to lose one’s home and how valuable having a place to return to is.” “I can’t just sit still when I think about those who lost their homes in a disaster,” he said. A group led by Chiba launched the campaign last month to deliver Instant Houses, temporary homes developed by Keisuke Kitagawa, professor at the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Aichi Prefecture. The homes only take about a few hours to build by inflating a tent-like fabric and spraying insulation material on the inside. Such homes were previously used in the aftermath of a powerful earthquake that hit the Noto Peninsula in central Japan in 2024. The group aims to assemble three homes, costing 500,000 yen each. The campaign collects donations ranging from 2,000 yen to 1 million yen, with contributors receiving a thank-you letter with an illustration by Chiba. Following the 2024 temblor, Chiba and others launched a crowdfunding campaign from late last year to January this year to prepare for future disasters, raising about 7.67 million yen. The money was used to stock up on materials necessary for 10 Instant Houses at the university. Kitagawa arrived in Kumamoto the morning after the July 28 earthquake, with about 100 such homes provided free of charge so far. Of the homes, 10 built immediately after the tremblor had been stockpiled at the university thanks to the crowdfunding campaign. Saying that he has received over 400 requests from local governments and individuals to set up such homes, Kitagawa added, “There’s still not enough places where people can be at ease, with many still living in their cars or taking temporary shelter on their own properties.” Donations for the latest crowdfunding campaign are accepted at https://syncable.biz/campaign/10176. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]