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Subject: Reuters-Japan plans to change its role as Asia's aid-giver 

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Japan plans to change its role as Asia's aid-giver=20
08:16 a.m. Nov 26, 1999 Eastern=20
By George Nishiyama=20

JAKARTA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Japan said on Friday it planned to shift the =
focus of its aid efforts in Southeast Asia and that the region now =
needed ``people skills'' as well as soft loans.=20

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, whose country has doled out billions of =
dollars in financial aid during Asia's financial crisis, said he would =
announce a new package of measures at a regional summit of leaders in =
Manila at the weekend.=20

``Asian economies are now on a recovery trend and focus has shifted to =
the longer-term outlook,'' he said en route to Jakarta where he will =
meet Indonesian leaders before heading to Manila.=20

Japan wants to help its neighbours ``stand on their own feet,'' a =
Japanese government official added.=20

The measures, to be announced at the Association of South East Asian =
Nations (ASEAN) summit, would include more student exchanges and the =
dispatch of Japanese experts to train local workers in fields such as =
engineering and finance, Obuchi said.=20

He told reporters he would announce the steps when ASEAN leaders and the =
grouping's dialogue partners -- Japan, South Korea and China -- meet on =
Sunday in the Philippine capital.=20

While Obuchi will not be flashing big bucks, there will be some pledges =
of new money, including a plan to provide the World Bank and the Asian =
Development Bank with funds to tackle poverty.=20

A Japanese finance ministry official said Tokyo would grant 10 billion =
yen ($96 million) each to the international lending agencies, with the =
money funnelled via non-government bodies.=20

TUGS ON THE PURSE STRINGS=20

But Japanese officials, including Obuchi, did not touch on a proposal by =
ASEAN to make permanent Tokyo's multi-billion-dollar funds available for =
crisis-hit neighbours.=20

The Philippine government said on Friday Japanese officials had agreed =
to endorse the ASEAN proposal to their own government.=20

The funds include the Miyazawa initiative -- a $30 billion fund so far =
allocated to South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the =
Philippines -- as well as the $15 billion Obuchi fund, available on =
merit for project financing, it said.=20

Obuchi also plans two diplomatic initiatives in Manila.=20

He will hold talks with General Than Shwe, head of Myanmar's military =
government, in the first meeting of leaders of the two nations since =
Myanmar's generals took power in 1988.=20

In another ``first,'' Obuchi will also hold three-way talks on Sunday =
with Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and South Korean President Kim =
Dae-jung.=20

Obuchi said the three would focus on economic issues rather than =
national security. ``There is a basic understanding among the three =
leaders that discussions will focus on economic issues.''=20

China is viewed as keen to avoid the issue of stalinist North Korea, =
which is a major security concern for Seoul and Tokyo.=20

South Korea favours ASEAN and the dialogue partners taking up security =
issues more aggressively, but Japan is wary of any security forum that =
excludes the United States, diplomats say.=20

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the =
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.=20


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT size=3D+1><STRONG>Japan plans to =
change its=20
role as Asia's aid-giver</STRONG></FONT> <BR>08:16 a.m. Nov 26, 1999 =
Eastern=20
<P><STRONG>By George Nishiyama</STRONG>=20
<P>JAKARTA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Japan said on Friday it planned to shift =
the=20
focus of its aid efforts in Southeast Asia and that the region now =
needed=20
``people skills'' as well as soft loans.=20
<P>Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, whose country has doled out billions of =
dollars=20
in financial aid during Asia's financial crisis, said he would announce =
a new=20
package of measures at a regional summit of leaders in Manila at the =
weekend.=20
<P>``Asian economies are now on a recovery trend and focus has shifted =
to the=20
longer-term outlook,'' he said en route to Jakarta where he will meet =
Indonesian=20
leaders before heading to Manila.=20
<P>Japan wants to help its neighbours ``stand on their own feet,'' a =
Japanese=20
government official added.=20
<P>The measures, to be announced at the Association of South East Asian =
Nations=20
(ASEAN) summit, would include more student exchanges and the dispatch of =

Japanese experts to train local workers in fields such as engineering =
and=20
finance, Obuchi said.=20
<P>He told reporters he would announce the steps when ASEAN leaders and =
the=20
grouping's dialogue partners -- Japan, South Korea and China -- meet on =
Sunday=20
in the Philippine capital.=20
<P>While Obuchi will not be flashing big bucks, there will be some =
pledges of=20
new money, including a plan to provide the World Bank and the Asian =
Development=20
Bank with funds to tackle poverty.=20
<P>A Japanese finance ministry official said Tokyo would grant 10 =
billion yen=20
($96 million) each to the international lending agencies, with the money =

funnelled via non-government bodies.=20
<P><STRONG>TUGS ON THE PURSE STRINGS</STRONG>=20
<P>But Japanese officials, including Obuchi, did not touch on a proposal =
by=20
ASEAN to make permanent Tokyo's multi-billion-dollar funds available for =

crisis-hit neighbours.=20
<P>The Philippine government said on Friday Japanese officials had =
agreed to=20
endorse the ASEAN proposal to their own government.=20
<P>The funds include the Miyazawa initiative -- a $30 billion fund so =
far=20
allocated to South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the =
Philippines --=20
as well as the $15 billion Obuchi fund, available on merit for project=20
financing, it said.=20
<P>Obuchi also plans two diplomatic initiatives in Manila.=20
<P>He will hold talks with General Than Shwe, head of Myanmar's military =

government, in the first meeting of leaders of the two nations since =
Myanmar's=20
generals took power in 1988.=20
<P>In another ``first,'' Obuchi will also hold three-way talks on Sunday =
with=20
Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and South Korean President Kim =
Dae-jung.=20
<P>Obuchi said the three would focus on economic issues rather than =
national=20
security. ``There is a basic understanding among the three leaders that=20
discussions will focus on economic issues.''=20
<P>China is viewed as keen to avoid the issue of stalinist North Korea, =
which is=20
a major security concern for Seoul and Tokyo.=20
<P>South Korea favours ASEAN and the dialogue partners taking up =
security issues=20
more aggressively, but Japan is wary of any security forum that excludes =
the=20
United States, diplomats say.=20
<P>ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, =
the=20
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. =
</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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