Clinton eyes visiting Japan late next week: sources+

WASHINGTON, April 7 Kyodo -
The U.S. government is making final arrangements for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to visit Tokyo late next week, with the aim of enhancing bilateral cooperation in addressing the crisis in Japan in the wake of the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, U.S. diplomatic sources said Wednesday.
Washington is exploring the possibility of talks between Clinton and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan as well as Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto during her trip to Tokyo, the sources said.
In the meetings, if realized, Clinton is expected to exchange views on the nuclear crisis and Japan's reconstruction efforts, they said, adding she will likely say that Washington will extend full support to Japan as its ally.
In Tokyo, Yukio Edano, top Japanese government spokesman, confirmed Thursday that the two governments are making arrangements for Clinton's visit to Japan.
''We would like to use all of the capabilities that the United States possesses'' to resolve the crisis at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Edano said at a press conference.
Clinton is likely to travel to Japan following her trip to Berlin to attend a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries on April 14 and 15 to discuss the situation in Libya, the sources said.
President Barack Obama and other key U.S. officials including Clinton have pledged their utmost support for Japan. Washington has mobilized about 20,000 personnel, 140 aircraft and more than 20 vessels from the U.S. military for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in Japan, according to the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, the two countries are expected to postpone security talks involving defense and foreign ministers from the two sides to June or later, from the initial schedule of sometime between late April and early May, as Japan needs to focus on relief and reconstruction efforts as well as the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima plant in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.
During the so-called two-plus-two talks, Tokyo and Washington are supposed to draw up new common strategic goals. The ministerial meeting is likely to be held after Kan's planned visit to Washington in June, the sources said.
Clinton has visited Japan twice as secretary of state -- in February 2009 and May 2010.