Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday canceled his plan to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a life-threatening stroke, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Koizumi had planned to visit Israel, the Palestinian areas and Turkey from Saturday to Jan. 13. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday afternoon that Japan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority will reschedule the visit at an appropriate time.

The ministry has rescheduled the prime minister's visit to Turkey, pushing it back from Jan. 9 to 13, the statement said.

A senior government official said the same day, "If (Koizumi) cannot meet Sharon, there would be no (point) to go to Israel."

Koizumi had hoped to use the trip to urge both the Israelis and the Palestinians to continue to adhere to the so-called road map for peace in the region, and underscore Tokyo's commitment to the Mideast peace process.

Because he will be unable to see Sharon, his meeting with Palestinian officials was also scrapped. The last time a Japanese leader visited the Middle East was in 1995, when then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama traveled to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Israel, the Gaza Strip and Jordan.

It will be the first visit by a Japanese prime minister to Turkey in 15 years.