Asean Foreign Ministers Set to Talk Aid in Jakarta

Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are planning to hold a foreign ministers meeting in Jakarta Saturday to discuss regional earthquake aid, The Nikkei reported early Tuesday.
Indonesia, which was devastated by the 2004 Sumatra tsunami, will chair the meeting and pledge its support for Japan. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa proposed the meeting to Japanese counterpart Takeaki Matsumoto in a phone conversation March 22.
Asean members will consider assisting Japan by supplying liquefied natural gas, oil and other resources. The measure comes as Tokyo Electric Power Co. tries to avert electricity shortfalls by bringing online fossil-fuel power plants.
Various Asean members are considering building nuclear power plants to deal with increased electricity demand amid economic growth. For instance, Vietnam has placed an order with Japanese firms to build a nuclear facility, while Indonesia, Thailand and others are exploring such moves.
With the safety of nuclear power also becoming a concern, Japan will likely be called on at the meeting to explain the cause of the Fukushima crisis and its future impact.