Mr. Hisaeda: The Government of Japan has decided to extend food aid of 600 million yen, a little less than US$5 million, through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to Palestinian refugees. Since September 2000, due to continued conflict between the State of Israel and Palestine, the Palestinian economy has been hit hard; this has forced the Palestinian refugees into an extreme and difficult situation. Under these circumstances, the UNRWA requested food aid from the Government of Japan. Taking the serious food shortage situation of the refugees into account, the Government of Japan decided to extend the fund to purchase flour, rice, and lentils through UNRWA, from a humanitarian point of view. The Government of Japan has been providing food aid for the Palestinian refugees, through the UNRWA, since the 1970s. Those are all the announcements and I would be more than happy to answer any questions that you might have.
Source: Government of Japan
Country: occupied Palestinian territory