Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda leaves Aug. 20 for an eight-day trip to the Czech Republic, Poland and France to forge stronger relations between Japan and the three countries.
Ikeda will seek to expand political dialogue with the Czech Republic and Poland and promote cultural and youth exchanges, Foreign Ministry officials said. Ikeda will first visit the Czech Republic and then move on to Poland on Aug. 22.
The two countries are expected to ask Ikeda for more investment from Japan and expanded trade, they said.
In France, Ikeda will seek to confirm that cooperative bilateral relations will be maintained under the new government of Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, the officials said.
Ikeda will be in France from Aug. 24 to Aug. 26.
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and French President Jacques Chirac agreed last November on an action plan for the 21st century designed to step up bilateral relations in such areas as politics, economics and cultural exchanges.