Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka may visit Yugoslavia and possibly some other countries in Europe before attending the July 18-19 Group of Eight foreign ministers' meeting in Rome, a senior ministry official said Friday.

With the situation in Yugoslavia expected to be high on the agenda at the G8 meeting, Japan wants to see and push forward the democratic transformation in the country, the official said.

Tanaka told a regular news conference Friday that she is "considering" visiting other parts of Europe and is currently asking the ministry to coordinate the visit. Tanaka is scheduled to arrive in Rome on the night of July 17.

The ministry is considering scheduling a visit to Belgrade for July 16, or even earlier to allow visits to other countries, the official said. On Friday, the ministry issued a statement welcoming the transfer of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

"Japan highly values the transfer of Mr. Milosevic to the ICTY, which reflects the firm commitment of the Yugoslav authorities to respect U.N. resolutions as well as to implement its cooperation with the international community," it said.