The former prime minister of Japan, Ryutaro Hashimoto, left for Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Wednesday to discuss counter-terrorism after last month's attacks in the United States, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, quoted by AFP.
"As a special envoy of the Japanese government, Hashimoto will discuss anti-terror measures with government officials in the two countries," a ministry official said.
Japan has pledged to support the US-led war on terrorism, but is hampered by its pacifist Constitution over the level of military cooperation it can offer, said the agency.
Kyodo news agency had reported that the Cairo visit would start on Sunday after the former premier wrapped up a visit to Cuba. He is due to arrive in the UAE on Tuesday.
Hashimoto is scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to deliver a letter from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the official said.
On October 9 in Egypt, the former premier, along with Mubarak, is scheduled to attend a ceremony commemorating the completion of a bridge between mainland Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula over the Suez Canal, the ministry said.
Japan's grant aid of some 13.5 billion yen, decided on by the Hashimoto cabinet in 1997, made up some 60 percent of the construction costs for the bridge, according to ministry officials. The bridge was completed last month – Albawaba.com
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