Japan pledges $1 billion to help Ukraine’s neighbors take in refugees

 

Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki delivers a speech at the G7 High-Level Corporate Governance Roundtable in Niigata, Japan, on May 11. (Kazuhiro Nogi/Reuters)

Japan will provide $1 billion to help Ukraine's neighbors in taking refugees from the war-stricken country, Japanese finance minister announced Thursday.

"Besides confirming the results of our financial aids [to Ukraine] so far, we would also like to discuss how to strengthen our cooperation with international financial institutions and help Ukraine's neighboring countries, including in taking in Ukrainian refugees," Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki told reporters, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Suzuki was speaking at the G7 Finance Minister and Central Bank chief meeting in Niigata.

"I would like to achieve concrete results and bring them forward to the Hiroshima summit," Suzuki said.

Japan is scheduled to host this year's G7 summit in Hiroshima starting on May 19.