The Japanese government will send former prime minister Yoshiro Mori as an official envoy to India as part of its contribution to the war against terrorism, a report said.
Mori, the former prime minister who stepped down from his premiership in April, will visit India as early as next week on behalf of sitting Premier Junichiro Koizumi, Jiji Press said. Officials from the cabinet office and the prime minister's official residence declined to comment on the report.
The US government is closely monitoring the India-Pakistan relationship, especially their border disputes, as Washington lays the ground work for establishing a new administration in Afghanistan in the event the Taliban regime collapses, Jiji Press said. Japan has decided to support the US effort by helping to stabilise the India-Pakistan relationship. Tokyo has decided to send Mori to India because he has visited the country while he was a prime minister, Jiji said. The gaffe-prone Mori stepped down in April after barely a year in office to be replaced by Koizumi.
Bureau Report