Frances Harrison BBC correspondent in Colombo

Japan says it hopes to supplement Norway's efforts to mediate in the Sri Lankan peace process.

Japanese envoy Yasushi Akashi said his country wanted to play a more active part in peace-building.

He said Japan felt it had a role in Sri Lanka as the largest donor and a fellow Buddhist and Asian country.

Mr Akashi plans to visit Sri Lanka at least once a month from now on to help peace-building efforts.

Donor talks

The delicate period, he says, comes after a ceasefire and before a final settlement.

We would very much like to speed up the process of aid delivery Yasushi Akashi Japan envoy

His immediate focus will be on mobilising international support for a major donors' conference for Sri Lanka, being held in Tokyo in mid-June.

Mr Akashi said he had been visiting the United States and other countries in advance of the conference.

He said the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and United Nations Development Programme would conduct a comprehensive needs assessment for the whole of Sri Lanka so that donors could decide on their pledges.

Peace support

While stressing that Japan had no desire to infringe on the role of the mediator, Norway, or the regional superpower, India, Mr Akashi said he felt there was still a certain space for his country to operate within.

"Japan is evolving from its more traditional, cautious, passive posture," he told reporters in the capital, Colombo, at the end of a three-day visit.

"And this is what we would very much like for Japan to play, without being over-bearing, imposing, aggressive and so forth, and this is a rather thin line to tread."

Japan provides 45% of all foreign aid to Sri Lanka.

As the largest donor, its active involvement in supporting the current peace process is crucial.

But there has already been some criticism of Mr Akashi's decision to visit rebel territory for meetings there.

He has been quick to point out that peace will mean economic benefits for people in the south of the island as well as reconstruction of the conflict areas in the north.