Defense Agency Director General Gen Nakatani left Friday for the United States, Indonesia and East Timor, government officials said.
Nakatani is scheduled to attend ceremonies commemorating today's 50th anniversaries of treaty signings in San Francisco, the officials said. Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka will also attend the events.
The defense chief will then head to Indonesia for talks on Monday with his local counterpart and other defense officials. He is scheduled to arrive in East Timor on Wednesday to meet with local leaders and United Nations officials. He plans to discuss the possibility of sending members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces to join a U.N. peacekeeping mission there.
The Defense Agency chief will return home on Sept. 15.