Japanese netizen mocks Korean water sent to quake victims — fellow Japanese push back

Korean Air donated 1,000 boxes of Jeju Pure Water as emergency relief for earthquake victims in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. [Korean Air]

A Japanese netizen who compared Korean bottled water donated to earthquake victims in Kumamoto Prefecture to "toilet water" has drawn sharp criticism from fellow Japanese users online.

According to posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, a Japanese user identified only as "A" wrote: "I'm not one of the victims, but honestly I don't want to drink Korean water. It only makes me think of toilet water."

Korean Air sent 12,000 bottles of water to the disaster-hit area Saturday as emergency relief. The supplies were flown from Incheon Airport on a cargo flight to Kitakyushu and then transported overland for use as drinking water by displaced residents.

Some users echoed the sentiment, with comments such as "Korea is the country that sent massive amounts of waste during the Great East Japan Earthquake," "We don't need support from Korea," "I hope this isn't just a way to dump expired stock," and "Residents in the disaster zone, make sure you check before drinking."

The majority of Japanese netizens, however, pushed back. "Why can't you just say thank you?" one wrote. Others said: "You shouldn't repay goodwill with contempt," "It's ridiculous for people who aren't even residents to say they don't need it — outsiders should keep quiet," and "You can't even send 1,000 boxes of water as relief yourself."

One Japanese user wrote: "If you don't want to accept help, just stay quiet," adding, "Is this wounded pride talking? What a pathetic Japanese person, still trapped in imperial superiority."

The user added, "I want to bow my head to the Korean people on your behalf."

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28, killing 38 people and injuring more than 380. The number of displaced residents was tallied at 8,556. At a single large shopping mall, seven employees were killed and five others injured.

Water supply facilities were also damaged, leaving about 46,800 households without running water. Recovery efforts have been hampered by a concurrent heat wave. The Japanese government is working to restore water service by the end of this month.

Aftershocks continue to rattle the region. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Thursday that a magnitude-5.1 earthquake struck waters 39 kilometers south-southwest of Kumamoto city in Kumamoto Prefecture at 7:59 a.m. Korean Standard Time, citing foreign monitoring agencies. The epicenter was at 32.50 degrees north latitude and 130.50 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com