Bush, Koizumi put their focus on Iraq, N Korea

17 October 2003, 18:00 PM

AFP, Tokyo

US President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met yesterday for talks at which Koizumi was expected to reassure his guest Tokyo will send troops to Iraq, following a promise of 1.5 billion dollars towards reconstructing the war-ravaged country.

Bush and First lady Laura Bush arrived late in the afternoon amid tight security, on the first leg of a tour aimed at boosting the fight against terrorism and seeking support for rebuilding post-war Iraq.

Shortly after 7:00 pm (1000 GMT), the two casually-dressed leaders met and shook hands at the Akasaka State Guest House before going into a Japanese-style annexe for a meal accompanied by Laura Bush, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and his wife.

In what is Bush's second visit to Japan since being elected in 2000, the US president and Koizumi are expected to discuss reconstruction efforts in Iraq, North Korea's nuclear crisis and economic issues, including foreign exchange rates.

Koizumi would tell Bush of Japan's plan to send 150 troops to the southern Iraq city of Basra in December as an advance party, with an additional 550 troops to be sent early next year, Japan's top-selling daily Yomiuri Shimbun said Friday, quoting government sources.