Mr. Masakazu Sekiguchi, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, to Visit Austria and Georgia

April 24, 2007

Mr. Masakazu Sekiguchi, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, will visit the Republic of Austria (Vienna) and Georgia from April 29 (Sun) to May 5 (Sat).

In Vienna, Mr. Sekiguchi will attend the First Session of the Preparatory Committee of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which will be held from April 30 (Mon) to May 11 (Fri). Mr. Sekiguchi will deliver a statement on Japan’s stance stressing the importance of maintaining and strengthening the NPT regime, which is facing a serious challenge from North Korea’s nuclear issues and other matters, and will meet with key officials of the Government of Austria during his stay.

In Georgia, Mr. Sekiguchi will exchange views on future bilateral relations and the regional situation with key officials of the Government of Georgia in light of the recent visit to Japan in March this year of Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia.

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