Migrant crisis: Japan pledges $1.5bn for aid and peace-building

Japan -along with Brazil, Germany and India -is pushing for a seat on the UN Security Council

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged $810m (£534m) to help Syrians and Iraqis displaced by conflicts.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly, he also said Japan would also contribute $750m to peace-building efforts in the Middle East and Africa.

However, he remained firm that Japan would not take in any refugees from those conflicts. Japan accepted only 11 of 5,000 asylum seekers last year.

Huge numbers of people have fled to Europe in recent months.

Heading north from the Mediterranean, large numbers have gathered at border crossings and some have died trying to cross into Europe by sea.

"Before accepting immigrants or refugees, we need to have more activities by women, by elderly people and we must raise [the] birthrate," Mr Abe said at a news conference, according a translation seen by Kyodo news agency.

Japan - along with Brazil, Germany and India - is pushing for a seat on the Security Council.

Japan is in the process of changing the role of its military so that it can play a more active role in UN peacekeeping. Its post-war constitution bans the use of force to resolve international conflicts except in cases of self-defence.