Japan to extend yen loans to 4 Asian nations to fight climate change+

TOKYO, June 21 Kyodo -
The government has decided to extend yen loans to four Asian countries to
assist their efforts to fight global warming, government sources said Sunday.

Under its Climate Change Program Loans, the government will provide tens of
billions of yen in loans to Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam,
the sources said.
The assistance will become a highlight of Japan's policy to support developing
nations' efforts to tackle climate change, which was recently announced by
Prime Minister Taro Aso, the sources said.
The move is also aimed at increasing support among developing nations for
Tokyo's initiative to craft a global treaty on curbing greenhouse gas emissions
after the 1997 Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, observers said.
Under the loan program, a recipient country will set specific targets for the
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by sector, such as energy and industry,
and Japan will provide loans to finance related projects.
Tokyo will monitor the progress of the yen-loan projects periodically and make
necessary recommendations.
Japan plans to extend up to 500 billion yen in yen loans over the next five
years under the program. It has already decided to extend 30.8 billion yen in
yen loans to Indonesia.
==Kyodo