Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka was to meet Monday morning with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues.
The main topics to be taken up during the 45-minute foreign ministerial meeting at the State Department were likely to include the United States' missile defense plans, its anticipated involvement in global warming prevention and the U.S. military presence in Okinawa Prefecture.
Much of the attention, however, is focused on whether Tanaka can clear up anxiety on the part of the U.S., said to have been caused by her reported comments that were critical of the proposed National Missile Defense, and smooth the way for the June 30 bilateral summit at Camp David.
Earlier Monday morning, Tanaka was to meet separately for about 30 minutes each with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice at the White House and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick at the USTR office.