American assistance to Japan after the Great Kanto Earthquake

On September 1, 1923, Tokyo and its vicinity were struck by the Great Kanto Earthquake. Cyrus E. Woods, who was the U.S. Ambassador in Tokyo, immediately reported the terrible devastation caused by the quake to Washington. He requested swift aid to relieve the earthquake victims. U.S. President Calvin Coolidge ordered that American naval ships, which were in the Tsingtao area in China, be loaded with relief supplies and dispatched to Japan to conduct relief activities. The American Red Cross and others called upon U.S. citizens to donate relief funds, and a total of 10.6 million dollars was contributed.