Many Afghans residing in Japan distrust the Northern Alliance and do not support its recent seizure of Kabul.

A carpet importer from Kabul who has lived in Tokyo for 18 years said: "Over the past 25 years, I have seen various regimes (in Afghanistan), but no single leader did anything good for the people. The Northern Alliance killed people and destroyed everything."

A 43-year-old woman, who declined to be named, said she would oppose any bid by the alliance to seize the reins of power in a post-Taliban Afghanistan.