Japan eyes Aso`s visit to S. Korea from Jan. 10

TOKYO, Dec. 22 Kyodo - Japan is trying to arrange a visit by Prime Minister Taro Aso to South Korea for two or three days from Jan. 10, government sources said Monday.
The envisioned visit for a meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung Bak
would be Aso's first trip to South Korea as prime minister.
In the framework of the so-called ''shuttle diplomacy'' involving reciprocal
visits by Japanese and South Korean leaders, Aso and Lee are expected to
exchange opinions on the North Korean nuclear and abduction issues and the
global financial woes, the sources said.
On the occasion of the Dec. 13 trilateral summit in Fukuoka Prefecture, in
which Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao also took part, Lee requested a visit by Aso
to South Korea in early 2009.
A source familiar with Japan-South Korean relations said both countries have
agreed to hold an early bilateral summit given uncertainties about the North
Korean situation.
Aso meanwhile envisions participating in the World Economic Forum summit in
Switzerland, dubbed the Davos forum, which will begin Jan. 28.
==Kyodo