Japan Gives $38 Million to U.N. Fund; No Boost in Gulf Pledge

President Bush appealed to Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Nakayama on Monday to provide more help for the United States in the Persian Gulf, but Nakayama offered no new financial commitments beyond Japan’s pledge last fall of nearly $2 billion.

During a half-hour meeting at the White House, the President “strongly urged Japan to provide the maximum cooperation possible,” according to a statement by White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater. Before Monday, Bush Administration officials had said they were generally satisfied with Japan’s efforts.

Nakayama said Japan will “continue to consider” what additional contributions it can make toward the costs of the multinational forces in the Middle East, according to a Japanese account of the White House meeting.

“This is a very strong message by the Japanese government to the U.S. government,” said Makoto Yamanaka, a spokesman for the Japanese Foreign Ministry. “Although there is no specific figure in dollar terms, our commitment is very strong. And our alliance with the United States is very strong.”

Meanwhile, the Japanese government pledged $38 million toward a new United Nations refugee relief program in the Mideast.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Misoji Sakamoto said that “in order to fulfill the international responsibility expected of Japan,” the government decided to provide the start-up costs for the $175-million U.N. program to assist a projected 400,000 evacuees.

Last September, Japan earmarked $4 billion for the gulf--half of it to support the allied military forces and half in economic assistance for the hard-hit nations of Jordan, Turkey and Egypt. Of the $2 billion for the multinational forces, most goes to the United States.

Japan also agreed to distribute $22 million in emergency aid to international relief organizations for the initial wave of evacuees.

Yet Tokyo has been widely criticized for foot-dragging in its response to the crisis. Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu committed the first $1 billion in assistance more than four weeks after Iraq’s Aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait and the amount increased only in stages after that.

Sheik Ahmed Salah Jamjoom, a former Saudi commerce minister who was leading a delegation of Saudi businessmen to Japan, , told reporters in Tokyo: “Actually, we think this amount ($4 billion) is very small. I think Japan should rethink, again, and they should increase the money enormously.”

Jamjoom said he thought Japan’s approach to offering money “might be a system of bargaining.” He proposed “at least $20 billion.”