French Finance Minister Michel Sapin speaks to the press at the French ambassador's residence in Tokyo on Monday. Sapin is in Japan on the last leg of an Asian tour. | AFP-JIJI
France and Japan have confirmed the need to establish a better mechanism to scrutinize money flows to terrorists, such as regulations on paper companies, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said Monday in Tokyo.
“The two countries have mutual concerns and they are both willing to tackle” the issue of money flows to terrorists, Sapin said after holding talks with Finance Minister Taro Aso and economic and fiscal policy minister Akira Amari earlier in the day.
Sapin, who was visiting Japan as part of an Asian tour, thanked Japan’s show of solidarity with France following the recent terrorist attacks involving the massacre at the offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
He said such a tragedy could happen anywhere in the world and international cooperation to prevent a recurrence is necessary.
Sapin said he sees the need for “decent regulations,” rather than additional spending, to keep track of the flow of money to terrorists.
“Especially, measures on paper companies would be necessary,” he said, adding that it is also important for the international community to share information on suspicious moves to better track terrorists who change names when they send money.
Sapin said he and Aso met for three hours, including lunch, in the first high-level economic and fiscal policy dialogue between Japan and France under an agreement between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Francois Hollande last May.
During the meeting, Aso promised Japan’s cooperation to fight terrorism.
France, Japan confirm need of scrutiny on terror financing: Sapin | The Japan Times
