TOKYO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday vowed to beef up the country's emergency response capacity to protect overseas Japanese in light of a deadly hostage crisis last Wednesday.
Abe made the remark as the government has confirmed that seven Japanese nationals were killed in the hostage crisis at a natural gas facility in southeast Algeria, while three other Japanese still missing in the hostage crisis.
Speaking at meetings of his Liberal Democratic Party, the prime minister also pledged to fight against terrorism in cooperation with the international community, local media reported.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference the day that the Japanese government will launch a panel including experts and private sector members to discuss measures to protect Japanese nationals and companies overseas.
The government is also considering to legislatively allowing the Self-Defense Forces to engage in missions to rescue Japanese national involved in emergencies outside Japan, Kyodo News Agency reported.
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