Dispatch of Japanese Government Electoral Observation Team for the Presidential Elections and Provincial Council Elections in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

August 11, 2009
Japanese

The Government of Japan will dispatch an electoral observation team headed by Mr. Takehiro Kagawa, Deputy Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the Presidential and Provincial Council elections in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan scheduled to be held on August 20 (Thu). The team consisting of approximately ten persons from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan will be dispatched to observe the election.
In March 2009, Japan extended approximately 300 million USD to help Afghanistan successfully hold the Presidential and Provincial Council elections, including assistance on election expenses, and contribution equivalent to the salary of all policemen in Afghanistan (approximately 80,000 persons) for half a year. Japan will dispatch the electoral observation team to provide support for a free and fair election with the belief that maintaining the legitimacy of the new government is important for Afghanistan’s future stability.
To prevent Afghanistan from stepping back to a hotbed for terrorism, Japan has been actively supporting efforts to stabilize the country by addressing such various fields as political process, security, and reconstruction assistance. Japan has pledged a total of 2 billion USD in the field of humanitarian and reconstruction assistance, of which 1.78 billion USD has been implemented in various endeavors such as humanitarian relief, support for the democratic process, improvements to security, human resource development, economic infrastructure, and so on. Japan is committed to providing assistance for the reconstruction of Afghanistan in order to encourage Afghanistan’s mid-to-long term self-reliance.

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