Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba met Monday with British Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon to discuss the reconstruction of Iraq being led by the United States and Britain, Japanese officials said.
The contents of the meeting were not yet made public, but the officials earlier said Ishiba intended to explain Japan's troop dispatch plan to help in the reconstruction effort.
Ishiba was also expected to seek the cooperation of British troops for the Self-Defense Forces.
He arrived in Britain on Sunday, the first leg of a six-day trip that will also take him to the Netherlands and France on a mission to discuss rebuilding Iraq.
Ishiba is scheduled to meet with Dutch Defense Minister Henk Kamp on Wednesday and French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie on Thursday.
He is due to return to Japan on Friday.