Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China

    TOKYO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Soka Gakkai on Friday offered a donation of 30 million yen (287,000 U.S. dollars) Friday to China's quake-hit areas.

    Minoru Harada, president of the Soka Gakkai, made the offer to support relief and rescue efforts in the quake-stricken areas of southwestern China when visiting the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.

    Minoru also conveyed Honorary President Daisaku Ikeda's message of condolence and concern to Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai, who thanked the Buddhist association for the kind gesture and said the donation will serve as great encouragement to the victims of the disaster.

    Soka Gakkai is a lay Buddhist association with 10 million members in Japan. The organization has had educational and cultural exchanges with China for more than 30 years.

    A 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday struck Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, and as of 4 p.m. on Thursday nearly 20,000 deaths have been reported in Sichuan and several other provinces and the total death toll is estimated at 50,000 or more.