Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday pledged US$2.5 billion in humanitarian and developmental aid for the Middle East as he launched a regional tour that is to include visits to Jordan and Israel.
In a speech in Cairo, Abe pledged US$200 million in non-military assistance for nations affected by the bloody expansion in Iraq and Syria by the group formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has spurred an exodus of cross-border refugees.
“Japan will newly carry out assistance of US$2.5 billion in non-military fields, including humanitarian assistance and infrastructure development, intended for the entire region,” Abe said, according to an official transcript.
Photo: Reuters
Speaking to Egyptian politicians and businessmen, he said that Japan would “provide assistance for refugees and displaced persons from Iraq and Syria.”
“I will pledge assistance of a total of about US$200 million for those countries contending with ISIL, to help build their human capacities, infrastructure and so on,” he added.
A Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told reporters that much of those funds would go toward assisting neighboring states hosting refugees.
The money is included in the US$2.5 billion figure, the official said, which also includes loans to improve Egypt’s power grid.
The Syrian conflict has killed more than 200,000 people since March 2011 and displaced about half of the nation’s population, with many fleeing to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan.
Dozens of Japanese executives are accompanying Abe on his trip.
Since taking office in December 2012, Abe has worked to boost Japan’s profile in global affairs. He has visited more than 50 nations, including oil-rich Persian Gulf nations — but not Japan’s neighbors Taiwan, China and South Korea, with which Tokyo is at odds over territory and history.
The last time a Japanese leader visited Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories was in 2006, when former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi was in office.
Abe was to meet Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi before departing for Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian West Bank.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
MATAIAN RIVER: Rescue operations were ongoing, with officials urging residents to move to higher floors where possible as teams focus first on those at ground level Floodwaters from the overflowing Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake swept into Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) yesterday afternoon, leaving hundreds of people trapped and three missing as of press time last night, the Hualien County Fire Bureau said. The waters surged into downtown Guangfu after the riverbank burst at about 2:50pm, carrying mud and debris and submerging streets to rooftop level in some areas. Residents were seen climbing onto vehicles and rooftops to await rescue as thick, silt-laden water inundated the town. The surge destroyed the Mataian Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) and flooded the Guangfu Railway Station. Rescue operations were launched with support from fire departments
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