Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture sent its top officials to Tainan to thank the city for donations that helped rebuild after July's earthquake — a warm moment in Taiwan-Japan ties.

• Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura and assembly speaker Koki Uchino met Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che to thank residents for their donations.
• Tainan raised the money at the suggestion of local residents and also sent fruit juice to people living in evacuation shelters.
• Huang delivered the donations in person in September and said rebuilding is moving along step by step.
• Kumamoto is urging Taiwanese to buy its local products and use the direct Tainan-Kumamoto flights to support the recovery.

Outlook: Both sides plan to keep building ties through education, farm trade, tourism and economic exchanges, with Tainan pushing to expand the direct flight link.