Kawaguchi to go on 3-nation Africa tour…

Japan Policy & Politics, August 19, 2002

TOKYO, Aug. 14 Kyodo

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi will visit Ethiopia, Angola and South Africa from Aug. 25 through Sept. 6, government officials said Wednesday.

Kawaguchi is scheduled to arrive in Ethiopia on Aug. 26 and meet with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin.

She will then travel to Angola on Aug. 27 and meet President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos and External Relations Minister Joao Bernardo de Miranda.

In Angola, Kawaguchi is also expected to inspect a site where land mines are being removed, the officials said.

The foreign minister is scheduled to arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she will attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development on Aug. 29.

She is also expected to meet with top government officials of various countries on the sidelines of the summit before departing for Japan on Sept. 5. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Environment Minister Hiroshi Oki will also attend the Johannesburg summit.