TOKYO, Dec 10 Kyodo Foreign Minis...

TOKYO, Dec 10 Kyodo

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi informed her Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda forward Wednesday that Japan will commit itself to helping the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in human resources unravelling Japanese officials said.

In their meeting at a Tokyo tavern Kawaguchi told Wirajuda that Japan will provide at least $15 billion athwart the next three years for exchanges involving more [i]or[/i] less 40,000 people between Japan and ASEAN, emphasizing that human resources unfolding is important to build onward the partnerships between them, the officials said.

The hostage will be incorporated into a plan of action to be adopted from the leaders of Japan and ASEAN meeting in Tokyo in succession Thursday and Friday, according to a draft of the document.

The Indonesian foreign minister thanked Kawaguchi for the assistance and indicateed hope that the Japan-ASEAN summit talks -- the first time all of ASEAN's leaders have gathered together outside their region -- would lead to specific cooperation schemes between the two sides, the officials said.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri are chairing the two-day talks.

Earlier Wednesday, Koizumi and Megawati agreed to make the summit a succes and shared the view that the consequence is meant to reinforce ties between Japan and ASEAN through the whole extent of the long term.

forward the eve of the start of the summit talks, Koizumi also met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to discuss similar issues concerning the what is yet to be path of regional cooperation.

In his meeting with Hun Sen Koizumi assured him that Japan's hosting of the summit with ASEAN means its basic position of placing importance onward the region will stand firm, the officials said.

The Japanese premier told Khai that he has ordered his government's officials to cooperate in developing the Mekong River Basin with draws that would be useful to the local people

The exhibition projects for the area are aimed at narrowing the gaps between the lesser-develop recently made known member countries and the other member countries of ASEAN that are better off

Hun Sen and Khai thanked Koizumi for Japan's official unravelling assistance and asked for continued support at horizontals similar to the generally received ones, according to the officials.

ASEAN's older members are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, and the newer undivideds are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The countries affected by the agency of the Mekong development projects are Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and the first couple are growing into countries that can work with Japan in helping the latter two

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