Square Enix donating almost $350,000 to Japanese Red Cross Society to support people affected by Noto Peninsula earthquake

 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Cloud Strife.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Cloud Strife.

Square Enix has confirmed that it will donate 50 million yen (approximately $346,000 or £273,000) to the Japanese Red Cross Society in order to support those affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan that occurred on January 1, 2024.

In a short news post published on the Square Enix Holdings website today (January 9), which was spotted and translated by Twitter / X user @Genki_JPN, the company, best known for series including Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts, extended its sympathies to those impacted by the earthquake. Announcing its donation, it noted (translated by Google), that the company prays “for the earliest possible recovery of the affected areas.”

Last week, The Pokémon Company also announced that it was donating 50 million yen to help people who had been impacted by the disaster. In a post published on January 5 on Twitter / X (translated by Google), the company wrote that it would “donate 50 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross Society and [make] donations to support organizations in order to help those affected by the disaster and to help restore the affected areas.”

Additionally, The Pokémon Company said that it will continue carrying out activities with children affected by the earthquake via the Pokémon With You foundation to help them “regain their smiles.”

The earthquake, which had a magnitude of MJMA 7.6, took place at 4.10pm local time in Japan on New Year’s Day. According to a report from The Japanese Red Cross Society, 1,219 aftershocks followed the main earthquake, and as of yesterday (January 8), 168 deaths were confirmed in Ishikawa prefecture. Hundreds more people are injured and missing, and more than 1,500 houses have been reported as collapsed or damaged.

Square Enix is the developer and publisher of the Final Fantasy series, which is home to many of the best RPGs of all time.