Visit to Japan by Ambassador Giancarlo Aragona,Secretary General of OSCE

January 8, 1998

1. Ambassador Giancarlo Aragona, Secretary General of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), will visit Japan from January 10 (Sat.) to 14 (Wed.) at the invitation of the Foreign Ministry. This will be Ambassador Aragona's first visit to Japan as secretary general. It will be the second visit of a secretary general of the OSCE; the first time was when Mr. Wilhelm Hnck came in 1994.

2. During his stay in Japan, Ambassador Aragona will have talks with Mr. Shunji Yanai, Vice Foreign Minister, and other high-ranking officials of the government, and give a lecture on the OSCE at the Japan Institute of International Affairs to an audience of intellectuals. On January 13, he will attend the International Conference on Preventive Strategy to be held by the Government of Japan to discuss mainly how the OSCE is tackling conflict prevention in Europe.

3. It is expected that this visit will deepen understanding of OSCE's activities in Japan and that the Conference will build upon OSCE's past achievements.