The Japanese government on Tuesday announced a plan to extend $20 million in grant aid to Pakistan to help it recover from damage caused by Saturday's huge earthquake, Japan's Jiji Press reported. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda unveiled the aid plan at a press conference. The government will consider providing additional aid to the nation depending on the situation there, Hosoda said. The aid will be used to help Pakistan buy blankets, foods, medicines and other relief supplies. Part of the money will be contributed to international organizations to finance programs to support Pakistan's reconstruction. At a meeting Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi instructed his cabinet ministers to draw up sufficient aid measures for the quake-hit country. Meanwhile, Seiji Maehara, leader of the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan, visited Pakistani Ambassador to Japan Kamran Niaz the same day and handed him part of 2 million yen in aid money donated by DPJ lawmakers. Maehara told Niaz that his party plans to dispatch a mission to Pakistan to inspect the magnitude of the earthquake damage.
