Aso arrives in Europe for 4-day trip to Czech Republic, Germany+

PRAGUE, May 3 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso arrived Sunday in the Czech Republic on the
first leg of a four-day trip, which will also take him to Germany, for talks
with European leaders on issues ranging from the new flu epidemic to the
economic crisis.

Aso is scheduled to meet with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek later Sunday
and to take part in the annual Japan-European Union summit on Monday, where he
will meet with Czech President Vaclav Klaus and European Commission President
Jose Manuel Barroso.
He will then travel to Berlin on Monday evening and meet with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel on Tuesday.
In Germany, the Japanese prime minister is scheduled to deliver a speech at a
university in which he will call for closer cooperation between Japan and
European nations in tackling global issues.
Aso is due to return to Tokyo on Wednesday.
==Kyodo