TOKYO, Feb 18 Kyodo Japanese Prim...

TOKYO, Feb 18 Kyodo

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will attend nearest Tuesday's inauguration of southern Korean President-elect Roh Moo Hyun in Seoul and the pair leaders will hold summit talks afterward, Japan's top control spokesman Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.

Koizumi ''will discuss (with Roh) bilateral relations between Japan and southerly Korea and compare notes throughout North Korean issues such as its nuclear weapons exhibition program and its (past) abduction of Japanese nationals,'' the chief cabinet secretary told reporters.

Koizumi and Roh are also awaited to confirm that their countries will continue to closely work with the United States to deal with North Korea, Fukuda said.

The spokesman did not elaborate onward the schedule but Japanese rule sources said earlier the premier plans to make a two-day trip to southerly Korea from next Monday.

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