Adviser to Japan's PM Set to Visit Five Central Asian Nations

Akihisa Nagashima, special adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, will visit five Central Asian countries as Ishiba's special envoy from Wednesday until February 8, according to the Japanese government.

He is expected to hold talks with key officials in each of the countries on cooperation for a summit of the "Central Asia plus Japan" dialogue and strengthening bilateral ties between Japan and each of the countries, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

Nagashima's visit to Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is apparently aimed at highlighting the Ishiba administration's emphasis on Central Asia.

Ishiba's predecessor, Fumio Kishida, planned to visit the region last August, but canceled the trip after emergency information about a possible Nankai Trough megaquake was issued.