Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Wednesday he would strongly urge Mitsubishi Motors Corp. of Japan to maintain its car manufacturing operation in Adelaide during his two-day visit to Tokyo starting today.

Howard's remarks at a National Press Club luncheon in Canberra followed reports from Japan the previous night that Mitsubishi, an affiliate of German-U.S. giant DaimlerChrysler AG, was planning to ditch its struggling Adelaide operation as part of its global restructuring program.

He said that while he had not been informed of any decision by Mitsubishi to close the Adelaide plant, he would address the issue during a meeting in Tokyo with Mitsubishi's Chief Operating Officer Rolf Eckrodt.

"I would certainly be advocating very strongly that what the government has provided both at a federal and state level has been extremely generous and contains many incentives and assurances for a continued heavy investment by Mitsubishi in Australia," Howard said.