Japan vows $5.5 bln aid to Mekong region at summit

In recent decades, Japan has been the biggest outside source of aid to the sub-region, but China's global quest for resources, and its outward investment drive of the past decade or so, have enlarged Beijing's presence in Southeast Asia.

Tokyo, keen on the region viewed as strategic for its proximity to shipping lanes and abundant natural resources, is hosting the first leaders' summit with five Mekong region countries -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -- in Tokyo to discuss sustainable development and climate change.

"Japan wants to play a more active role in contributing to the stability and development of the Mekong region," Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was quoted by a government official as telling his counterparts at the summit, which started on Friday evening.

"We want to act as a bridge for the common future of prosperity," he added.