The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra announced a million euro ($1.4 million) donation to victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March that triggered a nuclear catastrophe.

The Austrian orchestra's management made the announcement while its musicians were on a visit to Japan due to end on Wednesday.

In order to distribute the funds, the prestigious philharmonic orchestra has created the "Vienna Philharmonic and Suntory Music Aid Fund," in co-operation with Japanese beverage giant Suntory.

In May, the orchestra donated 140,000 euros ($194,200) to the Japanese Red Cross.

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11 triggered a monster tsunami that killed some 20,000 people and crippled the cooling systems at the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing meltdowns in some of its reactors.

Radiation leaked into the air, soil and sea around the plant, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

On Saturday, the Vienna orchestra is scheduled to play in Hiroshima, which was hit by a US atomic bomb in 1945.