Abe Leaves for Mongolia, Central Asia

Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Thursday for Mongolia and five Central Asian countries in the hope of strengthening economic and energy-related bilateral cooperation between Japan and each of these Asian nations. Abe, with his wife, Akie, departed from Tokyo International Airport at Haneda on a government plane in the morning for Mongolia, the first leg on the weeklong trip, which is also apparently aimed at putting a brake on China's efforts to increase its influence in the region. "Mongolia and Central Asia are located at the heart of Asia and make up a geopolitically very important area serving as an East-West connection point," Abe told reporters at the airport. "As all of the countries are seeking high-quality infrastructure, Japan has a role to play," Abe said. "Together with the Japanese business leaders who will accompany us, we're hoping to dramatically strengthen ties with each of these nations." This is the first time in nine years for a Japanese prime minister to visit Central Asia. Abe is the first Japanese prime minister to visit Turkmenistan, Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan. After Mongolia, Abe will move to Turkmenistan within Thursday and will visit Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in that order. He will hold talks with leaders of these countries. On Tuesday, Abe will deliver a speech on his government's Central Asia policy in the Kazakh capital of Astana. He will return to Japan on Wednesday. END