WORLD : Tokyo Vows Poland, Hungary Aid
Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu unveiled a billion-dollar aid program for Poland and Hungary today and said his country should play both a political and economic role in Eastern Europe.
“We are ready to positively support the democratization of Eastern Europe and help them bring about a new order,” he said at the German-Japanese Center in West Berlin.
Earlier, Kaifu met Chancellor Helmut Kohl in Bonn and told him that Japan supports the eventual reunification of Germany within a stable and peaceful European framework.
The new aid package for Poland and Hungary will take the form of a $500-million loan for each country from the Japanese Export-Import Bank over three years. Japan will also provide $350 million to guarantee investments by Japanese companies in Poland and double the amount of guarantees for trade with Hungary to $400 million.
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