Japan will pay an "appropriate" share of the cost of rebuilding Iraq, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said in Tokyo Wednesday.

"It's important to shoulder an appropriate burden that can be recognized by other countries," the top government spokesman told a press conference.

Fukuda did not give a specific figure, however.

"Japan's contribution will be discussed at a meeting of donors in Madrid later this month. We will make a decision on our stance through such international discussions," he said.

Fukuda made the remarks after the World Bank put the cost of rebuilding Iraq at about US$55 billion over a four-year period beginning in 2004.

Fukuda said the Madrid meeting must be successful and donor nations should share a common view on rebuilding Iraq to that end.

During the Gulf War in 1991, Japan contributed US$14 billion in aid to the allied forces and to nations in the region. Its contributions to Afghanistan have totaled US$900 million. In both cases, Japan paid for about 20 percent of the total international contribution.
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2003)