Okada pledges support for Afghanistan on surprise visit to Kabul+

KABUL, Oct. 11 Kyodo - Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada stressed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai that Japan will enhance contributions to Afghanistan that benefit the lives of the Afghan people as he made a surprise visit to Kabul on Sunday, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.

Karzai called on Japan to take a role in promoting the peace process in the
war-ravaged country, while noting the need for assistance in the areas of
electricity, higher education and agriculture, the official said.
Okada's visit to Afghanistan, as well as to Pakistan, comes as Japan is
considering how to boost its contribution to Afghanistan while planning to
terminate its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in January. Okada and
Karzai, however, did not touch on the issue of the mission during their
40-minute talks, the official said.
The outcome of the talks with Karzai and other key Afghan officials is likely
to be reflected in Tokyo's efforts to consider new measures in addressing the
situation in Afghanistan ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama visits Japan in
mid-November.
Okada indicated to reporters after arriving in Islamabad from Afghanistan that
the timing of any decision on such new measures could come after Obama's visit.
At the start of his meeting with Karzai, Okada, who is the first Cabinet
minister of the newly launched Japanese government to visit Afghanistan, said,
''Assistance for Afghanistan's reconstruction is an important theme.''
Okada and Karzai also agreed on the need for vocational training to promote
peace in the country, the official said.
Okada also told reporters in Afghanistan, ''As the Japanese government, we
would like to give substantial support to children and provide assistance that
is useful.''
The last Japanese foreign minister to visit Afghanistan was Masahiko Komura in
May last year.
Okada also met Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and visited a
school and vocational training center built with Japan's support. He also held
talks with Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister who is trailing behind
Karzai in the disputed Afghan presidential election.
The final election result has yet to be announced, because of fraud allegations.
Under the coalition government led by the Democratic Party of Japan, which took
the reins of government in September in a historic change of power, Japan plans
to end its refueling mission in support of U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in
and around Afghanistan and focus more on support that would help people's
livelihoods.
Japan has engaged in the noncombat refueling mission for most of the period
since 2001 under a law that authorizes the mission, given that the use of
weapons by the Self-Defense Forces is restricted under the war-renouncing
Constitution. The mission will end in January unless the law is extended.
Okada has repeatedly said there will be no ''simple'' extension of the mission.
But he has declined to elaborate on what exactly he means by ''simple.''
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, Japan has
pledged a total of $2 billion of assistance -- the third largest amount after
the United States and Britain -- for security, infrastructure, education and
other various areas.
Karzai told Okada that Japan is at the forefront of the reconstruction efforts
in Afghanistan and thanked the Asian country for its generous support.
Following his visit to Afghanistan, Okada moved to Pakistan later Sunday. He
will stay there until Monday and then head to Indonesia to visit quake-hit
Sumatra Island. He is expected to return to Japan on Thursday.
The Foreign Ministry had not announced Okada's visit to Afghanistan until his
arrival in Kabul because of security concerns. He entered Afghanistan via Dubai
after visiting Beijing to attend a trilateral summit meeting involving the
leaders of Japan, China and South Korea.
==Kyodo