Japan Recognizes Panama Regime, Ponders Aid

WASHINGTON — The Japanese government is considering an aid package to help Panama recover from the ravages caused by the U.S. military invasion, Japan’s ambassador said in a meeting with Vice President Dan Quayle today.

Quayle, at the start of the meeting with Ambassador Ryohei Murata, announced that Japan has decided to formally recognize the U.S.-installed government of Guillermo Endara in Panama.

Japan joins a handful of other nations that have officially recognized the new government in the wake of the U.S. invasion that drove dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega from power last month.

Bush Administration officials have said they would like Japan and other nations to help boost Panama’s economy and provide aid to compensate for the invasion-related destruction as well as the economic damage resulting from U.S. economic sanctions against the Noriega regime.