Japan ready to offer Indonesia $400 mil. to help with climate change

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HUA HIN, Thailand, Oct. 25 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Sunday his government is
considering offering Indonesia a yen loan worth $400 million to help the
country address climate change, a senior Japanese government official said.
If implemented, it would be the first such arrangement as part of the so-called
''Hatoyama Initiative,'' under which Japan will provide financial and technical
assistance to developing countries in fighting climate change.
''I would like the yen loan to be used for measures to tackle climate change,
and hopefully it would be used in a measurable and verifiable manner,''
Hatoyama was quoted as telling Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
when they met on the sidelines of a series of ASEAN-related regional summits
taking place in Thailand.
Hatoyama also said Japan will ''spare no effort to offer technical support,''
such as assistance for improving energy efficiency.
Yudhoyono thanked the Japanese prime minister for the offer, while noting that
Indonesia is seriously working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and that it
would also like to address deforestation.
Hatoyama, who took office on Sept. 16, revealed his initiative at a U.N.
climate change summit held in the same month.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations comprises Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.
==Kyodo