The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is urging Japan to make further financial contributions to help with the expected influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistan and other neighboring countries, a top UNHCR official said.

Kasidis Rochanakorn, UNHCR's regional representative for Japan and South Korea, said that while Japan's recent pledge of 4.7 billion yen in emergency grant aid for Pakistan will be "a big help," it is not clear how much of that will be disbursed through international organizations.

"We are anticipating that an additional contribution will come from Japan directly to the UNHCR" to cover the $30 million (3.625 billion yen) immediately needed to deal with an initial influx of up to 100,000 refugees, Rochanakorn said in an interview with The Japan Times earlier this week.

On Thursday, Japan announced it would provide Pakistan with an additional aid package consisting of 3 billion yen in grant aid, $7.5 million (about 900 million yen) to help the nation support refugees from Afghanistan, and reschedule 64.6 billion yen of Pakistan's debt.

The government also said it will extend $6 million (about 720 million yen) to the UNHCR.

The UNHCR has asked the international community for $272 million to deal with 1.5 million Afghan refugees expected to flood into Pakistan and Iran in the event of U.S. military strikes against terrorist bases in Afghanistan in retaliation for last month's attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

Pakistan already has over 2 million Afghan refugees, and Iran has 1.5 million, who fled the country after civil wars and drought.

"So even before the Sept. 11 incident, the problems of Afghan refugees were there, and we were facing a crisis because the world's attention was not focused," said Rochanakorn, a Thai native who has served in many Asian offices of the UNHCR.

The UNHCR has already established an emergency coordination apparatus in Pakistan, placing all its offices around Afghanistan under one chain of command, and has started prepositioning relief supplies, he said.

"The most essential items for the new arrivals include tents, plastic sheets, medical services, safe water and food," he said, adding that the UNHCR has specifically asked Japan to provide these relief goods "in the largest quantity as soon as possible."

An advance team of Self-Defense Forces personnel has already been dispatched to Pakistan in order to inspect the situation ahead of the airlifting of relief supplies. A fleet of SDF aircraft is set to leave Japan on Saturday.

Rochanakorn said a military role in refugee camps might become important if there is a flood of refugees.

"The military has certain expertise -- they have better logistics arrangements, discipline, better organizational structure and a greater ability to mobilize personnel."

If the role of traditional partners, such as nongovernmental organizations and international relief agencies, is not sufficient, "then, we would have to look into the possible role of military from the SDF or from other countries' troops," he said.

The government is now preparing a bill that would substantially expand the scope of SDF activities overseas. Under the planned legislation, SDF personnel would be able to use weapons not only to protect themselves, but also to protect those "under their care," such as refugees and wounded members of the U.S.-led forces.

The government believes that easing restrictions on the use of force is necessary to enable the SDF to defend against attacks by terrorists who sneak into the camps disguised as refugees.

Rochanakorn admitted such danger should be expected. "When the refugee influx occurs in a large number, you have to expect that all kinds of elements will be mixed into the civilian population," he said.

"One thing you have to recognize is that Afghans, by tradition, are normally armed, and refugees are also armed. It would be naive to say there would be no danger at all."

Separating new arrivals from existing refugees is needed at least to reduce the risk of armed conflicts, he said.

But Rochanakorn emphasized that it is up to Islamabad whether foreign troops should protect refugee camps in an emergency situation.

"This is something the Pakistan government first has to decide."