Japanese Prime Minister leaves for visits to Europe, Russia before G-7 summit

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Sunday for a weeklong visit to major European countries and Russia to lay the groundwork for a Group of Seven summit he will host in late May and address a decades-old territorial row with Moscow.

Abe plans to confer with European leaders on how to support the world economy amid China's economic slowdown, which is expected to be on the summit's agenda, government officials were quoted by Kyodo news agency as saying.

He will visit Italy, France, Belgium, Germany and Britain before traveling to Russia.

"I hope to hold frank and candid discussions with the countries' leaders. The biggest theme is how to deal with the world economy at present," Abe told reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport before his departure.

Source: MENA