Finance Minister Taro Aso on Monday called for cooperation among leaders of the world's leading economies to stem the flow of illicit funds to terrorist groups, following the recent murder of Japanese nationals Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto at the hands of Islamic State militants.
Speaking to reporters after the first day of the two-day G-20 gathering in Istanbul, Aso said: "I told (the G-20 finance chiefs) that it is necessary for each country to ramp up efforts" to deal with illegal financial activities.
The G-20 meeting in Istanbul is the first since the terrorist attacks in Paris, and the first since the killing of the two Japanese hostages in the Middle East.