Bush scraps Sept visits to Japan, Singapore--Kyodo

TOKYO, Aug 14 (Reuters) US President George W. Bush has scrapped a plan to visit Japan in early September for talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Kyodo news agency said today citing U.S. government sources.

Bush had been considering a trip to Japan after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit set for September 8-9 in Sydney, Kyodo said.

But plans to visit Japan and also Singapore after the APEC summit have been cancelled, mainly because the top US military commander in Iraq is expected to report back to Washington by mid-September on the success of a US troop buildup, Kyodo said.

Both the US embassy in Tokyo and the Japanese foreign ministry declined to comment on the report.

Bush last visited Japan in November 2005.

REUTERS SBAA VC0822