Japan to increase assistance to Laos

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Japan to increase assistance to Laos

The Japanese government has pledged to increase financial assistance to Laos to develop the Mekong River region.

Japan's Senior Vice Foreign Minister Hitoshi Kimura met Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh in the capital city of Vientiane on Monday.

They confirmed that the two countries will carry out the bilateral investment arrangement that was signed in January. Kimura pledged to increase Japan's Official Development Assistance and investment in Laos to help develop the country.

Japan's financial aid has helped to build a trans-Indochina highway, known as the East-West Corridor, in the Mekong River region.
China is also assisting in the development of another highway, which runs north and south of the region.

Kimura told NHK that Japan hopes to cooperate with China in the Mekong Basin Development for a win-win result for the two nations, as well as the region.

Meanwhile, a North Korean defector is still believed to be in the Japanese embassy in Laos, after seeking refuge in March. But Kimura declined to comment on the incident.

2008/05/06 05:37

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