TOKYO, March 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After the devastating earthquake that hit eastern Japan, The Nippon Foundation set up the "Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund" on the CANPAN website which is operated by the organization. Fundraising activities started on March 12 and as of March 18, the organization is calling out for donations in 11 different languages including Japanese, English, Spanish and Chinese. It plans to increase the number to 15 and include additional languages such as Arabic and Indonesian.

The Nippon Foundation will focus on using the funds to assist the elderly or disabled individuals, immigrants, orphans and others whose particular needs are often left unmet. We will also work to secure medical supplies as well as a wide range of specialists, including nurses, psychotherapists and sign language interpreters, as paid volunteers to support the people of the disaster-stricken areas. To ensure the highest degree of transparency, reports on the use of funds will be posted on The Nippon Foundation website.

Donations can be made through The Nippon Foundation website (http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/eng/) by credit card at 1,000 JPY (12 USD) per share or by bank transfer to the following account.

- Bank name: The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. - Branch name: Head Office - Bank address: 2-7-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 100-8388, JAPAN - Account name: The Nippon Foundation - Account number: 0492440 - Swift Code: BOTKJPJT * Please be reminded that bank fees will apply when making an overseas transfer. Contact: Maki Vicky Honda The Nippon Foundation Tel: +81-3-6229-5111 e-mail: cc@ps.nippon-foundation.or.jp