Japan urges Nepal to step up search for 5 nationals missing after floods

TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday urged Nepal to do everything possible to locate five Japanese nationals missing after massive flooding and landslides near the country's border with China.

In a roughly 15-minute phone call with his Nepalese counterpart Shisir Khanal, Motegi offered condolences over the deaths in last Wednesday's disaster, saying Japan stands ready to provide all possible assistance.