ASIAN DRUG CONFAB AGREES ON DATABASE, TRAINING

TOKYO, Feb. 2 (Kyodo) -- Japan and six other Asian countries agreed during
the first day of a two-day antinarcotics conference in Tokyo on Tuesday to
consider creating a database for improving capacities to profile the illicit
manufacturing and distribution of drugs.

The countries at the Asia Drug Law Enforcement Conference agreed to
''examine the possibility of creating a database with the results of drug
analysis and establishing a network of drug profiling,'' they said in a
communique issued after Tuesday's session.

The countries also agreed to promote professional training and education
related to drug analysis and identification for drug law enforcement
officers, the communique said.

Participants in the conference, which is discussing ways to stop illegal
drug production in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam,
warned against the increasingly severe drug problem in East Asia.

The countries welcomed a new project proposed by the U.N. International Drug
Control Program (UNDCP) to ''develop and expand the operational
effectiveness of law enforcement authorities across and along borders of
countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region,'' which includes the ''Golden
Triangle'' drug producing area.

The project is scheduled from this year to 2003.

The Japanese government will extend financial and technical support to the
UNDCP project and dispatch experts to help improve drug and precursor
identification and testing.

Takeshi Noda, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission supervising
police departments across the country, said in an opening speech that Japan
is concerned about the growing illegal production of amphetamine stimulants
in the six countries.

''Japan will support the six countries in dealing with the drug problem, in
cooperation with the UNDCP,'' Noda, who is also home affairs minister, said.

Japan has an estimated 2.18 million amphetamine abusers, according to the
National Police Agency (NPA).

The conference, hosted by the NPA and the Foreign Ministry, is being held in
the wake of the U.N. General Assembly's special meeting last June that
adopted resolutions aimed at reducing illegal trade in drugs over the next
10 years.

The United States, Italy, Sweden and five other countries as well as the
European Union are attending the meeting as observers.