Japan and the United States are planning to hold ministerial talks May 2 to finalize a broad set of plans to realign the U.S. military presence in Japan, government sources said Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso is already set to meet Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a visit to Washington from April 30 to May 3, and Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are likely to join them for a "two-plus-two" security meeting, the sources said.
The two countries have already missed a self-imposed March 31 deadline to finalize the realignment plans, which are aimed at boosting bilateral security cooperation and maintaining U.S. deterrence while reducing base-hosting burdens in Japan.
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