The Japanese government didn't hold any public activities to thank Taiwan at the first few years after the earthquake, and wrote a letter in private to the Taiwanese government to express gratitude instead. However, starting in 2014, the government started holding events publicly in Taiwan to express gratitude, starting from the governments of six prefectures in Japan collaborated for a four-day event in Taipei, Taiwan, aimed to repay the generosity during Japan's earthquake. During the 5th anniversary event of the 2011 earthquake in Taiwan, the ambassador to Taiwan from Japan described Taiwan as a "true friend" and further stated "With the gratitude for the generosity of our friends in Taiwan, we vow to try our best to strengthen the relationship between Japan and Taiwan." Japan also stated that it's donations of 1.2 million USD to Taiwan due to a powerful earthquake hitting southern Taiwan is an attempt to repay Taiwan's generosity a few years ago. In 2019, the 8th anniversary of the earthquake was held, in which the ambassador to Taiwan from Japan stated that "There was already a special bond between Japan and Taiwan before the disaster" and that "The northeastern Japan earthquake made see it more clearly." These statement contradict what was suggested from Taiwanese news papers which stated that the donations Taiwan contributed was a turning point between the relations of the two nations. However, it is undeniable that Taiwan and Japan's relations have strengthened a lot due to the exchanges after the catastrophe, both on a governmental and private level. In August, 2019, The Japan Times published an article "Taiwan's democracy is worth defending", which is a proof of the improved relations as such controversial articles supporting Taiwan are rarely seen on large non-Taiwanese news media.