The United States has apologized to Japan for saying over the weekend that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would meet with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in Washington on Friday and then retracting the announcement, a senior Japanese official said Monday.
Also on Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said there is no fixed schedule for Okada's trip to the United States after Japanese sources said over the weekend that arrangements for a meeting with Clinton, possibly on Friday, were taking place.
"The Diet must be the top priority. There should not be any trips abroad (by ministers) that could influence Diet deliberations," Hirano said at a news conference.