Foreign Minister confirmed that Japan withheld annual UNESCO dues of 4 billion yen for this year.
Tokyo:
Japan has withheld its annual UNESCO dues, saying it wants to make sure the UN body properly functions to foster trust among member nations.
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, asked by a reporter, confirmed that Japan withheld dues of 4 billion yen ($40 million) for this year. He refused to say if that was to protest UNESCO's listing last year of Chinese Rape of Nanking documents as a memory of the world.
Kishida said the decision is based on "comprehensive" observations. Japan disputes China's historical views on the 1937 massacre and has criticized the UNESCO decision.
Japan provides 9.7 per cent of UNESCO budget, the body's second-largest donor after the US at 22 percent. Washington has suspended its dues since 2011 when Palestine began participating in UNESCO.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, asked by a reporter, confirmed that Japan withheld dues of 4 billion yen ($40 million) for this year. He refused to say if that was to protest UNESCO's listing last year of Chinese Rape of Nanking documents as a memory of the world.
Kishida said the decision is based on "comprehensive" observations. Japan disputes China's historical views on the 1937 massacre and has criticized the UNESCO decision.
Japan provides 9.7 per cent of UNESCO budget, the body's second-largest donor after the US at 22 percent. Washington has suspended its dues since 2011 when Palestine began participating in UNESCO.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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