Leaders of both the ruling and opposition camps on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to take up a wide range of issues during the upcoming Group of Eight summit in Okinawa, including information technology, Korean reconciliation and security issues.
During separate meetings with party leaders, Mori first explained that he intends to announce a plan to provide 15 billion yen to developing countries over the next five years to promote information technology as well as 3 billion yen to combat infectious diseases.
Leaders of the ruling bloc said Mori should tell G8 leaders that Japan adopted a war-renouncing resolution during the last Diet session. Mori responded by saying he will do his best to mention it.
They also said that either Mori or Foreign Minister Yohei Kono should visit leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations after the summit to report on the outcome of the international conference.
New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki asked Mori to discuss the possibility of setting up an Asian headquarters of the United Nations in Okinawa during the summit, which is due to start on Friday.
Kanzaki also suggested that G8 leaders draw up a special statement to show their support for the reconciliation of North and South Korea in the wake of the inter-Korean summit last month.
Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, asked Mori to take up such issues as reviewing the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement during the bilateral meeting with U.S. President Bill Clinton, which is scheduled for Thursday in Tokyo, in the wake of a series of incidents involving U.S. soldiers stationed in Okinawa.