Heizo Takenaka, the economic and fiscal policy minister, will leave for the United States and Britain on Jan. 6 for ministerial talks over economic issues, the Cabinet Office said Wednesday.
On the first leg of the trip, Takenaka will meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Lawrence Lindsey, a top White House economic adviser, on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8, the office said.
Takenaka is expected to brief U.S. officials on the progress of structural reforms initiated by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Japan's future economic prospects.
Takenaka will meet Gordon Brown, British Chancellor of the Exchequer, on Jan. 11 before returning to Japan on Jan. 13, the office said.