2026 Kumamoto Earthquake
Disaster Relief Fund
Donation period: August 5 – October 31, 2026
On July 28, 2026, the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake struck southern Japan.
Among the 10 cities, 10 towns, and one village placed under Japan's Disaster Relief Act are Yatsushiro City and Hikawa Town.
Rina Imai, a founding member of Sustainable Map, grew up in Yatsushiro.
Her family home is there; the family's ancestral home is in Kagami-machi, and many relatives live in Hikawa Town.
Her eldest daughter was also born in Kagami-machi.
Fund status
As of August 8, 2026, 9:05 JST / 12 people have supported us so far
(last updated: August 8, 2026)
Transfer and payment-processing fees, to date: ¥0 (0.0% of donations received).
Any amount above 5% is covered by our organization, not deducted from the fund.
"Donations received" is the amount actually received into the fund. Credit card donations are received net of the processor's 3.6% fee (this fee is included in the incidental-cost figure above).
| Date | Recipient | Amount | Purpose | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 6, 2026 | Katariba (certified NPO) | ¥40,780 | "sonaeru", their disaster child-support programme, including "Minna no Kodomo Beya" — a safe space for children at Ueyanagi Shimoni Community Hall in Yatsushiro City | Katariba activity report (in Japanese) The official donation receipt will be posted on this page once it arrives. |
| August 6, 2026 | Purchase of relief supplies (direct support on the ground) | ¥62,799 | Materials for repairing a collapsed roof: 1,000 sandbags (5 packs of 200), 1,000 m of banding to secure tarpaulins (2 rolls of 500 m), and an eyelet punch set. Shipped directly to the "Kumamoto 10-Year Testimony Archive Project", which is active on the ground. | Receipts are kept by our organisation. |
What we know so far
About the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake
- On July 28, 2026, an earthquake registering a maximum of 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale struck Kumamoto Prefecture. The Japan Meteorological Agency officially named it the "2026 Kumamoto Earthquake."
- The Disaster Relief Act was applied to 10 cities, 10 towns, and one village in Kumamoto Prefecture (effective July 28).
- These include Yatsushiro City and Hikawa Town.
- Yatsushiro City recorded an intensity of 6-upper, and an evacuation order was issued for the entire city.
- News reports have confirmed damage inside the Honmachi shopping arcade in central Yatsushiro.
The full extent of the damage is still being assessed. Where figures are not yet confirmed, we will not speculate on this page. Updates will be posted in the Updates section below.
Sources: Kumamoto Prefecture — Application of the Disaster Relief Act / Yatsushiro City — Earthquake information (both in Japanese; as of August 4, 2026)
Why Sustainable Map is raising this fund
First, something we want to say upfront.
The Japanese Red Cross Society, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Yatsushiro City are already accepting official disaster donations.
You can also support the recovery through hometown tax donations (furusato nozei) to Yatsushiro City.
If you want a tax-deductible donation delivered through official channels, those are the best options.
Links are provided further down this page.
That said, here is why we are standing up.
Sustainable Map is a nonprofit based in Asao Ward, Kawasaki, Japan, that creates opportunities for children to engage directly with their community and society.
What we have always said is: "Think Glocally, Act Locally."
Small local actions, accumulated, are what move the bigger picture.
If we don't live by those words when a place we are personally connected to is shaken, they are just a slogan.
A relief fund, not a distribution fund
In Japan, disaster giving takes two forms.
Gienkin is money distributed directly to affected households through official distribution committees.
Shienkin (a relief fund) is money used for the relief activities themselves.
What we are collecting is the latter.
The reason: we want to judge what is missing right now — based on information from the ground and from disaster-relief professionals — and deliver support to the right place at the right time.
Right now, speed matters more than anything.
Gienkin passes through a distribution committee, so it can take months to reach affected households. Yatsushiro City states that the timing and amount of distribution are still undecided.
That process exists to guarantee fairness, and it matters — but it cannot meet what is missing on the ground today.
So we are not waiting until donations close.
As soon as a recipient is confirmed, we send funds. We don't collect first and act later — we act while we collect.
Where the money goes
- Funds will go to an NPO supporting children, and to disaster-relief organizations working on the front lines. We plan to donate to an organization running a safe space for children affected by the disaster in Yatsushiro City, and to organizations in Hikawa Town working on damaged houses, running evacuation shelters, and coordinating food supplies. Each organization's name will be posted on this page, together with the amount and date, at the time of the donation.
- Which organizations receive how much will be decided by needs on the ground. We hear directly — through the network of organizations working on-site and from disaster-relief professionals — what is missing right now, and deliver support where and when it is needed.
- We will also go to the affected area and provide direct support ourselves. The costs of that work will also come from this fund: purchasing supplies, equipment, on-site expenses, and transportation to the area.
- Everything — donations to organizations and our own direct spending — will be recorded on this page with amounts and dates.
Our promises
How this fund is handled
- Donation period: August 5 – October 31, 2026
- No fundraising target. Whatever is raised will be delivered, reliably.
- Incidental costs — transfer and payment-processing fees — are capped at 5% of the total fund. This includes the credit card processor's fee. Anything above 5% is covered by our organization, not deducted from the fund. The actual amount is published in Fund Status.
- The fund is used for two things: donations to relief organizations, and direct support on the ground. Direct support covers purchasing supplies, equipment, on-site expenses, and transportation to the area.
- Any funds remaining when the period ends will not stay with us. The full remainder will be donated to disaster-relief organizations active on the ground at that time.
- The Fund Status section is updated daily for the time being. On days with no movement, we will say so. Once the situation settles, we will switch to weekly updates (Fridays), and to monthly updates after the donation period ends. Any change will be announced in Updates first.
How to donate
Our bank account cannot receive transfers from outside Japan, so credit card is the way to donate from overseas.
Please pay in Japanese yen (JPY) — this avoids an additional currency-conversion fee.
The card processor deducts a payment-processing fee of 3.6%. A card donation is received net of that fee.
We ourselves deduct nothing from what the fund receives.
Donations to this fund are not tax-deductible in Japan.
Sustainable Map is a general incorporated association — not a certified NPO or a public interest corporation — so we cannot offer preferential tax treatment for donations.
If you want a tax-deductible way to help, please use the official channels below. (You do not need to go through us. What matters most is that help arrives.)
- Kumamoto Prefecture — official donations (in Japanese; July 29 – October 30, 2026)
- Japanese Red Cross Society — 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake donations (in Japanese; July 31 – October 30, 2026)
- Yatsushiro City — official donations (in Japanese)
- Yatsushiro City — hometown tax donations (furusato nozei) (in Japanese)
If you need a receipt, please contact us using the form at the bottom of this page. We will issue one individually.
For tax questions, please consult your tax advisor.
Updates
How the fund is used, and reports from the ground — everything is posted here.
-
August 6, 2026
We purchased relief supplies — materials for repairing a collapsed roof. 1,000 sandbags, 1,000 m of banding to secure tarpaulins, and eyelet fittings, shipped directly to the "Kumamoto 10-Year Testimony Archive Project", which is active on the ground.
We chose materials that will hold for a while rather than a stopgap fix. With a typhoon approaching, covering the roof was urgent. -
August 6, 2026
We made our first donation. As our work centres on children, we sent it to "sonaeru", the disaster child-support programme run by Katariba, a certified NPO. In Yatsushiro City, they are running "Minna no Kodomo Beya", a safe space for children, at Ueyanagi Shimoni Community Hall.
A typhoon is now approaching, and the supplies needed on the ground are very likely to change significantly. We will watch how the situation develops before deciding where to send support next. - August 5, 2026 Donations are now open. The donation period runs through October 31. For the time being, the fund status on this page will be updated daily.
We'll still be here after the headlines fade
After the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, rebuilding continued for years after media coverage faded.
This time, too, recovery will take a long time. That is exactly why we will stay involved.
We will publish reports whenever we can visit the area.
The timing is not yet decided. When it is, we will post it in Updates.
We will not present anything as decided when it is not.
This page will remain online after donations close.
What the money was used for, and how the area is recovering — it will all accumulate here.
Ways to help beyond money
Donating is not the only way
- Share this page with someone.
- Come back to the Updates section now and then. How the fund is used, and reports from the ground, are all posted there.
Frequently asked questions
About Sustainable Map
Sustainable Map (general incorporated association)
- Legal form: Nonprofit-type general incorporated association (incorporated April 2022; founded as a citizens' group in September 2020)
- Representative Director: Yuya Imai
- Address: 5-36-21 Kamiasao, Asao-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
- Phone: +81-44-400-1900
- Contact: Contact form (the form itself is in Japanese, but messages in English are welcome)
- Privacy: See our privacy policy (in Japanese)