Japan vows to support Afghanistan development

Japan has urged NATO member states to continue to support Afghanistan after the international troops withdraw in 2014. Japan's Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba made the appeal in his speech at a NATO summit in Chicago last night. He said it's important to have a stable Afghanistan and realize the country's potential for development after the NATO troops withdraw. Gemba said Japan will host a ministerial-level meeting in Tokyo on July 8th to discuss the war-torn country's reconstruction and development. He urged the NATO states to assist Afghanistan for 10 years after the troops' pullout, the (NHK World) website reported. Japan is not a NATO member, but Gemba attended the summit to promote the Tokyo meeting in July. After the summit, Gemba told his US counterpart, Hillary Clinton, that Japan will continue to help Afghanistan improve its security after 2015.