Japan will provide $19.5 million in humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan, including support for migrants, the Taliban-run ministry for refugees and repatriation said on Monday, quoting Japan’s charge d’affaires in Kabul.
The ministry said Kinichi Masamoto made the pledge during a meeting with Abdul Kabir in Kabul.
According to the ministry’s statement, Masamoto said Japan has provided around $550 million in aid to Afghanistan through United Nations agencies since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and would continue its assistance while adhering to a policy of non-interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
Japan’s embassy in Kabul has not publicly commented on the meeting or the aid commitment.
During the meeting, Abdul Kabir urged Japan and the international community to support job-creation projects for Afghans returning from neighbouring countries, the ministry said.
The pledge comes as Afghanistan faces a surge in deportations from neighbouring states, particularly Pakistan and Iran.
The Taliban’s High Commission for Migrant Affairs said Pakistan deported 2,025 Afghan migrants on Sunday, Jan. 18, while 23 others were expelled from Iran, with most returns carried out forcibly.
The commission said the migrants returned through border crossings including Torkham, Spin Boldak, Bahramcha, Pul-e-Abresham and Islam Qala.
Data released by the commission show that Pakistan deported 16,247 migrants between Jan. 9 and Jan. 16, while 802 others were expelled from Iran during the same period, most of them forcibly.
The United Nations has previously said about 2.6 million migrants returned to Afghanistan in 2025, warning that mass returns are placing severe pressure on the country’s limited resources and humanitarian response capacity.
