
Karzai will hear Japanese concerns about corruption Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai is beginning a visit to Japan, one of his country's biggest donors.
He's seeking support to create jobs to try to persuade Taliban fighters to lay down their arms.
But he is likely to face tough questions over governance and corruption.
The issue is likely to dominate the meeting between Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
Japan last year pledged $5bn in aid for Afghanistan over five years, but on condition the money would not be lost to corruption.
A spokesman for Japan's Foreign Ministry said governance in Afghanistan should be improved, and money from Japanese taxpayers' pockets spent effectively.
Japan has never deployed troops to Afghanistan, but its Maritime Self-Defence Force did operate in the Indian Ocean providing fuel and water to international forces.
The mission was ended after the new centre-left Government came to power in Japan last year saying it wanted to offer more civilian aid instead.
Japanese money has been used to build roads, a new airport terminal in Kabul, and to pay the wages of the Afghan police force.
During his trip President Karzai is expected to ask for support for his plan to lure Taliban fighters from the battlefield with jobs and economic opportunities.









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