Donations to quake-hit Ishikawa have reached around ¥17 billion ($116 million), prefectural officials said Thursday.

According to the officials, 223,365 donations totaling ¥16,925 million had been made as of Tuesday.

A committee made up of members of related organizations will decide how to allocate the funds, which will be distributed to those affected by the quake via local municipalities.

Satofull, a Tokyo-based operator of a website for the central government's furusato nozei (hometown tax donation system), allows users to make donations for disaster-affected municipalities without receiving customary return gifts or burdening them with related administrative work. This service for disaster-hit areas was introduced after Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu was hit by large earthquakes in 2016.

For those affected by the Jan. 1 temblor, the service has garnered some 84,000 donations worth over ¥1.26 billion as of Wednesday, marking the fastest pace on record.

"We think the heavy news coverage given every day has raised public awareness," a Satofull official said.

Over the six days to Monday, many people visited a trade fair for products from Ishikawa and the neighboring prefecture of Fukui held at Keio Department Store's Shinjuku outlet in Tokyo.

A part-timer in her 30s bought traditional sweets adorned with gold leaf, which is a specialty of Kanazawa, Ishikawa's capital. "I came to 'cheer up' disaster-affected areas," she said.

A visitor in his 70s, who was among many who made donations at the event, said "I can't go there, but I want to do what I can."