Japanese FM to visit US, discuss alliance
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-29 12:19

Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso will visit Washington in early December for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other senior officials, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Aso, who last met Rice on the sidelines of the recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea, will also meet with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley on his three-day trip starting Friday, the ministry said in a statement.

The minister is likely to take up a wide range of issues with Rice, including the U.S.-Japan alliance, economic ties and security, according to ministry spokesman Takatoshi Mori.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi stressed the strategic importance of Japan _ where nearly 50,000 U.S. troops are stationed _ during a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush to Japan earlier this month.

Aso is also expected to discuss a recent agreement to streamline the U.S. military presence in Japan, as well as the lifting of Tokyo's two-year ban on American beef imports.