Foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations plan to issue an emergency joint declaration urging India and Pakistan to avoid a war.
"The G8 nations will voice their united opinions regarding the tension between India and Pakistan in the statement," a Japanese foreign ministry official said.
The statement was aimed at stopping the nuclear-armed rivals escalating their conflict into all-out war, Jiji Press news agency quoted Foreign Minister Ms Yoriko Kawaguchi as saying.
She made the remark during a meeting of the lower-house foreign affairs committee, it said.
The conflict deteriorated sharply day along the Indian-Pakistani border, with Islamabad bolstering its military presence.
The Group of Eight comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
AFP