Koizumi to visit RI

Koizumi to visit RI

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has announced plans to visit Indonesia as part of his tour of major Southeast Asian nations next month.

With Japan's economy in the doldrums and Tokyo scaling back foreign aid in response, Koizumi is expected to deliver bad news about the limits to which his country can assist debt-riddled Indonesia.

Officials at the Japanese embassy said that, upon arrival in Jakarta on Jan. 12, the prime minister will meet with President Megawati Soekarnoputri before attending a dinner in his honor later that evening. In between, he will make a courtesy call on Vice President Hamzah Haz.

Prior to his departure on Jan. 3, he will lay a wreath at the Heroes' Cemetery and meet with Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly Amien Rais and Speaker of the House of Representatives Akbar Tandjung.

The talks with Indonesian officials are expected to focus on enhancing economic cooperation. Japan ranks as Indonesia's principal trading partner, its biggest aid donor and a major source of direct foreign investment.

Koizumi's whirlwind Southeast Asian tour will take place between Jan. 9 and Jan. 15; it will also cover the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

In Singapore, Koizumi is scheduled to deliver a speech centered on relations between his country and Southeast Asia as a whole, according to AFP.

Koizumi will be the 20th leader to make the prestigious Singapore Lecture on Jan. 14. He will speak on "Japan and ASEAN in East Asia: For the candid partnership," the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies said Wednesday.

Previous speakers have included former U.S. president George Bush, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, South Korean President Kim Dae- Jung and former South African president Nelson Mandela.

Koizumi's tour was originally slated for September, but the trip was postponed after the terrorist attacks in the United States.