Japan will extend up to 2.3 billion yen in aid grants to help Tanzania reconstruct its economy and improve food production, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi told Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa on Monday, according to Foreign Ministry officials.

Of the total, 1.5 billion yen will be extended for Tanzania's economic structural adjustment program, while 800 million yen will be granted for food production, the officials said.

Mkapa requested further assistance from Japan to nurture the tourism industry and human resource development programs in Tanzania, the officials said.