Japan PM Abe to visit Europe in Jan, US in May

Tokyo, Nov 25: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to travel to Europe in mid-January and then pay his first visit to the United States around early May, media reports said today.

Abe plans to visit Britain, France and Belgium between Jan. 9-14 and may also stop over in Germany, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported.

The Japanese prime minister is expected to call for cooperation in response to North Korea's nuclear programme and discuss Iran's nuclear ambitions and the Middle East peace process, Japan's Kyodo news agency said.

Abe is also planning his first trip to the United States around early May, Kyodo said.

Shortly after becoming prime minister in late September, Abe attempted to patch up relations with Japan's neighbours by visiting China and South Korea.

China and South Korea had refused to hold summits with Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, because of his pilgrimages to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which critics saw as glorifying Japan's past militarism.

Abe met US President George W Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam earlier this month.

Reuters