Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Tuesday he will make a three-day trip to the United States starting Friday to talk with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on security and other issues.
It will be Aso's first trip to the U.S. as foreign minister.
Speaking at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting, Aso underscored the importance of raising the issue of security in East Asia during his talks with Rice on Friday.
"On the whole, the U.S. security interest is considerably inclined toward the Middle East, and it appears from outside that its interest in areas such as the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait is fading, which poses a big problem for the region," Aso said.
The foreign minister is also scheduled to hold talks Friday with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, according to the Foreign Ministry.
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