TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government plans to provide assistance to Afghanistan, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, after an earthquake there killed at least 1,000 people.

       Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara told a regular news conference that the government was coordinating moves to "provide necessary support promptly" as well as assessing the situation to grasp local needs.

       (Reporting by Ju-min Park, Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)