ID :
45084
Wed, 02/11/2009 - 16:52
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/45084
The shortlink copeid
Nakasone heads to S. Korea for talks on Afghan cooperation, N. Korea
TOKYO, Feb. 10 Kyodo - Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone departed for Seoul on Tuesday evening to draw up concrete plans with his counterpart Yu Myung Hwan on cooperation in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and to coordinate policies on North Korea ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Asia tour next week.
''This (visit) will serve as a follow-up to the meeting between (South Korean)
President Lee Myung Bak and (Japanese) Prime Minister Taro Aso'' to strengthen
bilateral relations, Nakasone said in the morning. ''I also hope to discuss
various issues facing the world.''
Nakasone is scheduled to meet Yu on Wednesday morning followed by talks with
Lee in the afternoon. He will also meet South Korean parliamentarians, business
representatives and university students at separate events before returning to
Tokyo on Wednesday evening.
Tokyo and Seoul, whose relations have improved in recent years, are expected to
reach basic agreement on a program for Japan to accept about 1,000 South Korean
students over 10 years to study science and engineering at Japanese
universities at government expense in the hope of deepening personnel
exchanges.
On the international front, the two foreign ministers will flesh out the
details of joint efforts to support reconstruction in Afghanistan, namely in
the areas of agricultural development and vocational training, a senior
ministry official said.
The cooperation in Afghanistan will be the first of its kind between the two
nations and is seen as the starting point for implementing Japan-South Korea
joint development assistance as envisioned by the top leaders.
With Clinton set to visit the region from Monday, Nakasone will reaffirm with
South Korea the importance of close trilateral cooperation with the new U.S.
administration of President Barack Obama to push the stalled six-party
denuclearization talks forward, including ways to verify North Korea's nuclear
programs.
Nakasone is also expected to reiterate Tokyo's call for South Korea's support
in efforts to resolve the issue of Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese
nationals, the official said.
Japan also hopes to exchange views with South Korea on plans for antipiracy
operations in waters off Somalia and to discuss possible cooperation in this
field, the official said.
Despite chilled relations between the two nations during then Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi's administration from 2001 to 2006, bilateral ties have
warmed over recent years, especially since Lee took office in February last
year.
The improvement in relations has been seen in the resumption of so-called
''shuttle diplomacy'' in which frequent meetings between the countries' top
leaders and at the foreign ministerial level have been realized, notably over
the past year.
''This (visit) will serve as a follow-up to the meeting between (South Korean)
President Lee Myung Bak and (Japanese) Prime Minister Taro Aso'' to strengthen
bilateral relations, Nakasone said in the morning. ''I also hope to discuss
various issues facing the world.''
Nakasone is scheduled to meet Yu on Wednesday morning followed by talks with
Lee in the afternoon. He will also meet South Korean parliamentarians, business
representatives and university students at separate events before returning to
Tokyo on Wednesday evening.
Tokyo and Seoul, whose relations have improved in recent years, are expected to
reach basic agreement on a program for Japan to accept about 1,000 South Korean
students over 10 years to study science and engineering at Japanese
universities at government expense in the hope of deepening personnel
exchanges.
On the international front, the two foreign ministers will flesh out the
details of joint efforts to support reconstruction in Afghanistan, namely in
the areas of agricultural development and vocational training, a senior
ministry official said.
The cooperation in Afghanistan will be the first of its kind between the two
nations and is seen as the starting point for implementing Japan-South Korea
joint development assistance as envisioned by the top leaders.
With Clinton set to visit the region from Monday, Nakasone will reaffirm with
South Korea the importance of close trilateral cooperation with the new U.S.
administration of President Barack Obama to push the stalled six-party
denuclearization talks forward, including ways to verify North Korea's nuclear
programs.
Nakasone is also expected to reiterate Tokyo's call for South Korea's support
in efforts to resolve the issue of Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese
nationals, the official said.
Japan also hopes to exchange views with South Korea on plans for antipiracy
operations in waters off Somalia and to discuss possible cooperation in this
field, the official said.
Despite chilled relations between the two nations during then Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi's administration from 2001 to 2006, bilateral ties have
warmed over recent years, especially since Lee took office in February last
year.
The improvement in relations has been seen in the resumption of so-called
''shuttle diplomacy'' in which frequent meetings between the countries' top
leaders and at the foreign ministerial level have been realized, notably over
the past year.
