Tsutomu Takebe, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, will visit South Korea today and Sunday for talks with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Tong Tae, and Yu Sam Nam, maritime affairs and fisheries minister, the ministry said Friday.
Takebe will hold talks with Kim and Yu today. He is expected to ask for understanding of Japan's position in farm trade negotiations under the World Trade Organization, a ministry spokesman said.
Takebe is also expected to ask for South Korea's cooperation on the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission to be held in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, from April 25 to May 24, the spokesman said.
On Sunday, Takebe is scheduled to visit farmhouses outside Seoul to study South Korea's agriculture.