
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 26, 1993                   TAG: 9306260155
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: TOKYO                                LENGTH: Short

JAPAN TO INCREASE FOREIGN-AID SPENDING

Japan announced Friday that it plans to increase its foreign aid budget, already the world's largest, by 40 percent to 50 percent over the next five years, providing a total of $120 billion to developing countries in the form of aid and loans.

The move shows that Japan, despite being weakened by recession and a political crisis, remains a financial powerhouse capable of marshaling vast sums for achieving its international goals and enhancing its global role.

The announcement comes less than two weeks before Tokyo hosts the July 7-9 summit of the world's major industrialized nations. - Los Angeles Times

by CNB