Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaking to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday said that Japan will provide $1.56 billion in aid for refugees and peacebuilding efforts in the wider Middle East.

Repeating his country’s desire to be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, he added that Japan would provide $750 million more to help build peace across the Middle East and Africa.

Referring to his country’s consistent refusal to consider accepting even a small number of refugees to relocate to Japan causing criticism of the country’s strict policy on asylum, he said that Japan must improve first the living standards of its own people before it can consider accepting Syrian refugees.