Japan resumes aid to US allies

Japan says it will provide Pakistan and India with emergency economic aid as part of its effort to help the countries near Afghanistan that are co-operating with the United States in its fight against terrorism.

The proposed aid is part of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's seven-point plan which he announced on Wednesday to support Washington.

The decision to resume financial aid to India and Pakistan comes after a three-year freeze imposed by Tokyo following the nuclear tests that the two countries carried out in 1998.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service