Japan top aid donor

Japan top aid donor

TOKYO (Reuter): Japan kept its position as the world's top donor country last year, disbursing a total of about US$13.3 billion as official development assistance (ODA), a government report said on Tuesday.

The figure represented a 16.3 percent increase from 1993, the report compiled by the Foreign Ministry said.

It was the largest source of aid to a total of 32 countries, including China, Mongolia and Indonesia, according to the report, which was endorsed by the cabinet on Tuesday.

Tokyo sees the aid program as one of the main pillars of its foreign policy.

It told China last week that it would trim grant-in-aid in protest at Beijing continuing to hold nuclear tests.

Meanwhile, Tokyo has been putting off making a decision on whether to resume official lending to Iran. Washington accuses Iran of supporting terrorism, and has urged Tokyo to stop offering yen loans.