Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi leaves today for London to attend an annual meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries plus Russia, ministry officials said.
The foreign ministers will exchange views Friday and Saturday on the situation in such regions as the Middle East, Cambodia and the Korean Peninsula.
The foreign ministers' meeting is usually held at the same time as the G-7 leaders' annual meeting, but this year's conference will take place a week before the leaders' May 15-17 summit. The foreign ministers will also discuss such global issues as disarmament and reform of the United Nations.
Obuchi will hold separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Italy, Russia and the United States, according to the officials. Obuchi is likely to follow up with Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov on agreements made between Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and President Boris Yeltsin at their informal summit last month in Kawana, Shizuoka Prefecture.