U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will visit Japan on April 28 to meet with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi, ministry officials said April 10.
Albright and the Japanese leaders will exchange views on such issues as the relocation of Futenma Air Station and Japan's economic situation, the officials said. She is expected to reiterate Washington's call for more action by Japan to stimulate its economy. Moves to reform the United Nations and Japan's bid for a seat on the U.N. Security Council may also be discussed.
The Tokyo stop for Albright, who last visited Japan in February 1997, will be followed by stops in China, South Korea and Mongolia, the officials said. A main focus of her China visit is to work on the agenda for a late-June summit in Beijing between U.S. President Bill Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin following last October's meeting between the two leaders in Washington.