TOKYO, Dec 7 — Japan will provide aid worth more than US$2.8 billion (RM11.8 billion) in next three years aimed at combatting malnutrition exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told an online summit on nutrition for growth today.

The event, hosted by Japan and participated in by more than 80 countries and agencies, comes when hunger and malnutrition levels worldwide have worsened due to the pandemic, and food systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change.

"Because of the coronavirus, the number of children suffering severe malnutrition has grown by 13.6 million... Now is the time for us to take action,” Kishida said.

Japan plans to give 10 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine to countries in Africa, where vaccination rates remain low, Kishida said.

"Japan will tackle the nutrition issue with full force to contribute to the future of humanity. What’s important, for starters, is overcoming the coronavirus,” he said. — Reuters