Japan to provide 700,000 dollars for aid to ASEAN island areas: report

Japan to provide 700,000 dollars for aid to ASEAN island areas: report

Agence France-Presse Tokyo

Japan plans to provide US$700,000 in technical assistance to help develop island areas in four Southeast Asian countries, a press report said on Saturday.

The plan will be announced at a summit meeting here between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Dec. 11-12 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the group's ties with Tokyo, the Jiji Press news agency said.

Jiji, quoting government sources, said the aid will be provided to Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines through a Japanese-financed special fund established at the Asian Development Bank for three years from late January.

The summit is expected to confirm commitments by Japan and ASEAN member states to beefing up the comprehensive economic partnership between the two sides.

The Japanese aid will help prop up the economies of the island areas which have abundant natural resources but are fraught with slower economic development hampered by poverty and piracy, among other things, the report said.

The assistance will be used to nurture industries and technical support for the smooth flow of goods and investment funds in the region, the report said.

At the upcoming summit, the Japanese government will also express readiness to enhance its support for the development in the Mekong basin, which extends over Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, Jiji added.