INDONESIA TO HOST SPECIAL ASEAN-JAPAN MINISTERIAL MEETING

SINGAPORE, April 7 (Bernama) -- Indonesia, as Chair of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), will convene a Special Asean-Japan Ministerial
Meeting in Jakarta Saturday.
The meeting will be held following the aftermath of the earthquake and
tsunami disaster that struck the Tohoku region in Japan on March 11, said a
statement from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
MFA said the meeting will discuss Asean-Japan cooperation on the management
of disasters in the region.
It will be held at the Asean Secretariat, co-chaired by Indonesian
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki
Matsumoto.
MFA said Singapore fully supports the Indonesian initiative to convene the
meeting so that Asean can express its solidarity with, and support for, Japan as
it deals with the recovery and reconstruction efforts.
"Singapore's national coordinator for our efforts to support the Japanese
people and former Ambassador to Japan, Ambassador-at-Large Chew Tai Soo, will
lead the Singapore delegation to the Special Asean-Japan Ministerial Meeting,"
it added. -- BERNAMA