Japan is considering taking in Kosovo refugees, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka indicated Wednesday.
Speaking at a regular news conference, Nonaka said the Foreign Ministry has already dispatched a fact-finding mission to Yugoslavia to investigate the situation. The mission is slated to return later this week. "We'd like to wait for a report from the mission and study the possibility of any further contribution our country can make," he said.
An estimated 400,000 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo have reportedly fled to neighboring countries. Japan has already sent 1,000 tents and $15 million in aid to help the refugees, but it is ready to make a further contribution, Nonaka said.
The top government spokesman described Yugoslavia's declaration of a unilateral ceasefire Tuesday as "a step forward" but added that it remains questionable whether it will lead to the establishment of peace.
Nonaka urged the Yugoslav government to respond to the request of the international community. "The Yugoslav forces should withdraw from Kosovo and create a condition that enables refugees to return to their homes," he said.