Japan to resume government loans to Vietnam+

TOKYO, Feb. 23 Kyodo - Japan told Vietnam on Monday it will resume government loans frozen since the revelation of a bribery case involving a Japanese official development assistance project in the Southeast Asian country, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said.

The Japanese government has decided on the loan resumption after a joint
committee by the two countries recently came up with corruption prevention
measures over Japan's assistance programs, they said.
Japan's decision was conveyed by Prime Minister Taro Aso and Foreign Minister
Hirofumi Nakasone to visiting Planning and Investment Minister Vo Hong Phuc,
the officials said.
Japan, the largest aid donor to Vietnam, has suspended its yen loan program to
Vietnam since last summer after a Japanese business consultancy firm was found
to have paid bribes to Ho Chi Minh City officials in connection with the
Japanese ODA project.
In January, the Tokyo District Court gave suspended prison terms to three
former executives of Pacific Consultants International in the bribery case.
==Kyodo
2009