Japan's Abe pledges US$200m in non-military assistance for countries fighting Islamic State

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned yesterday the world would suffer an "immeasurable loss" if terrorism spreads in the Middle East and pledged about US$200 million in non-military assistance for countries battling the Islamic State.

The threat of Islamist militancy has come into sharp focus outside the Middle East after gunmen killed 17 people in three days of violence in Paris that began on January 7 with an attack on the offices of a newspaper that had published satirical images of the Prophet Mohammed.

Islamic State controls large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria, has declared a caliphate and wants to redraw the map of a region that is vital for Japan's energy needs.

"It goes without saying that the stability of the Middle East is the foundation for peace and prosperity for the world, and of course for Japan," Abe said in Cairo as part of a regional tour.

"Should we leave terrorism or weapons of mass destruction to spread in this region, the loss imparted upon the international community would be immeasurable," he said.

Highlighting his concern, Abe told a meeting of the Japan-Egypt Business Committee that Tokyo would provide non-military financial backing for countries fighting the al-Qaeda breakaway group, also known as ISIL.