Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will make an official visit to Washington in the latter half of June for talks with U.S. President George W. Bush, sources said Monday.
The trip is expected to be Koizumi's last to the United States as prime minister, as he has expressed plans to step down in September.
While government officials of the two countries are working on arranging the meeting schedule, the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan and East Asian affairs, including issues concerning China, are expected to top the agenda, according to the sources.
The Japanese side has proposed that Koizumi and Bush discuss how the Self-Defense Forces can strengthen ties with the U.S. forces in line with the planned realignment, the sources said.
Another focus will be on the timing of the SDF's withdrawal from the southern Iraq city of Samawah, where some 600 Ground Self-Defense Force troops have been stationed since early 2004 to aid reconstruction.
Tokyo plans to complete the pullout by the end of the first half of this year. But the U.S. may seek additional efforts by Japan to support Iraq's rehabilitation following the withdrawal, the sources said.
Japan's import ban on U.S. beef will also be discussed by the two leaders, with Bush expected to ask Koizumi for an early resumption in trade.
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