Japanese prime minister offers condolences to Typhoon Ragasa victims in Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 25 (CNA) Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday sent his condolences to those impacted by Typhoon Ragasa after the storm killed at least 15 people in Taiwan.

In a Mandarin Chinese/Japanese X post, Ishiba said he was "deeply saddened to hear about the devastation caused by Typhoon Ragasa in eastern Taiwan."

"I express my deepest condolences to the victims. My sincere sympathy to their families, and my heartfelt thoughts to all those affected," he said in the post.

He said he was saddened to see Taiwan hit by typhoons and heavy rain in recent months, referring to the torrential rain in southern Taiwan that caused serious damage in August.

"I sincerely pray that the people of Taiwan can return to normal life as soon as possible," he said.

In response, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), and Taiwan's top envoy to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) all thanked Ishiba for his concern and well wishes.

"The government is currently fully committed to assisting local governments in rescuing those stranded, and carrying out post-disaster recovery and reconstruction," Lai said in Mandarin on X.

"We sincerely appreciate the concern of our friends from all walks of life in Japan and look forward to further deepening disaster preparedness cooperation with Japan in the future to address shared challenges jointly," the president added.

"We thank the Japanese government and people for their continued friendship and warmth when Taiwan needed them most," Hsiao wrote in Japanese on X.

Lee, meanwhile, cited the old saying that "A friend in need is a friend indeed," in a post on the Taiwan representative office in Tokyo's social media account.

"Whenever disaster strikes Taiwan or Japan, each side will always lend a helping hand to the other. I believe that the bond, or kizuna -- the spiritual connection between Taiwan and Japan, will continue and remain unchanged," he wrote in Japanese.

Typhoon Ragasa hit Taiwan earlier this week, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.

As of Thursday morning, the storm had killed at least 15 people -- all in Hualien County -- injured 32 and left 31 missing.

Most of the dead and missing were in Guangfu Township, Hualien County, after floodwaters from the Matai'an Creek Barrier Lake surged into the area.

Several foreign representative offices in Taiwan, including those of the United States, Japan, the European Union and the United Kingdom, have already extended condolences to those affected by Typhoon Ragasa.