French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin will arrive in Japan on Sunday evening for a visit through Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said.
De Villepin, who is scheduled to arrive at Fukuoka airport, will give a lecture at Kyushu University on Monday before traveling to Tokyo the same day to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Tuesday.
It will be de Villepin's first trip to Japan since taking office in May 2002. He initially planned to visit Japan from Monday to Tuesday.
He is expected to discuss with Kawaguchi ways to improve bilateral cooperation in the reconstruction of Iraq and other issues of global concern, including the crisis in Haiti and the results of six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, a Foreign Ministry official said.
Although Japan and France have different positions on the Iraq situation, they have agreed to cooperate to repair cultural facilities, including museums and libraries, in Iraq.
The French foreign minister will also meet Nissan Motor Co. President Carlos Ghosn before his talks with Kawaguchi on Tuesday and may pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.