Japan gives $26m in aid to Indonesia

Japan gives $26m in aid to Indonesia

Agencies, Los Cabos, Mexico

Japan announced Saturday it would extend US$26 million in emergency aid to Indonesia to help it recover from the nightclub bomb attack in Bali, which killed more than 180 people, officials said.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced the assistance when he met with President Megawati Soekarnoputri on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum here.

The Japanese prime minister said he understood the scale of the task facing Indonesian authorities in coping with the aftermath of the attack, according to a Japanese government official.

"International cooperation is needed," the Japanese prime minister said. "Japan will continue actively supporting Indonesia's reform efforts."

The aid was not tied any specific projects, another Japanese official said. "We offered the funds taking into account the incident in Bali," the foreign ministry official said.

The attacks killed almost 200 people from various countries, dealing a heavy blow to Indonesia's tourism industry.

Koizumi offered condolences to the victims of the bombing attacks and stressed the need for international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the Japanese officials said.

Megawati said Indonesia has been strict about antiterrorism measures but that it will take time to root out terrorism, according to the officials.

She told Koizumi that Indonesia wants to cooperate with Japan in various areas, including the prevention of smuggling, they said.

Koizumi invited Megawati to visit Japan next year.