Japan urged Egypt on Tuesday to take "thorough anti-terrorism measures" following Monday's massacre in Luxor which killed more than 60 people, including 10 Japanese.

Seichiro Noboru, head of the Foreign Ministry's Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, made the request when he met the Egyptian Ambassador to Japan Nabil Fahmy, Kyodo news agency reported.

He called for steps to be taken to prevent a recurrence and for a thorough investigation of the attack.

Fahmy expressed his sorrow for the attack and the loss of life which he said occurred despite the priority his country was placing on boosting security measures.

He said measures would be taken to facilitate the transport of victims and visits by the victims' families.

Officials said the Foreign Ministry would urge travel agencies to cancel trips to Luxor and other parts of southern Egypt until safety in the region could be assured.

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.
 

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