Awwal 05, 1432, April 09, 2011, SPA -- Japan's Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto met Saturday with counterparts from South-East Asia to discuss the region's response to last month's earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. The ministers would talk about what sort of assistance Japan needs from members of the Association of the South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said. "There will be a mechanism under which assistance given by ASEAN member countries will be coordinated by the ASEAN secretariat so that it will match what Japan needs," Natalegawa was quoted as saying by DPA. Also on the agenda was a discussion on joint efforts by Japan and ASEAN to improve preparedness and emergency response to deal with future major disasters, the minister said. In a draft statement, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to promote future ASEAN-Japan cooperation in disaster management, including conducting training and capacity-building programmes for disaster preparedness. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the meeting was also aimed at showing solidarity with Japan, a major donor in Asia. "We in ASEAN know that every time we are struck by a disaster, the government and the people of Japan stand ready to help," he said. "Therefore, it is now time for ASEAN to express our solidarity and help the people of Japan, even though we all know Japan is at the forefront of disaster preparedness."
