Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace on Monday and was scheduled to attend a banquet there later in the day, an Imperial Household Agency spokesman said.

Yudhoyono is on a four-day visit to Japan, during which the two countries are expected to agree on the broad outlines of a free-trade agreement.

Akihito and Yudhoyono held private talks following a welcoming ceremony that was originally set to take place on the palace grounds but had to be moved indoors due to rain, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing agency policy.