Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi left for a five-day visit to the Middle East on Tuesday amid ongoing fighting in the Palestinian territories where Israel has been carrying out a military offensive and concerns back home that North Korea might test-launch more missiles.
Israel has expressed hope that Koizumi might help deliver a message from Jerusalem to the Palestinian authorities during his visit, as the two sides are in serious conflict over an Israeli soldier abducted by Palestinian militants.
Koizumi, the second Japanese prime minister to visit Israel, will also stop in Jordan before heading on to St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday for the summit of the Group of Eight nations.