Koizumi envoy meets with GMA

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s special envoy held talks with President Arroyo yesterday to discuss Japan’s bid for a UN Security Council seat, officials said.

Yoriko Kawaguchi was accompanied by a small Japanese government entourage during her brief talks with Arroyo, Japanese Embassy spokesman Shuhei Ogawa said.

Their discussions also touched on reforms in the Security Council and regional issues, Ogawa said, without elaborating.

Japan, along with Germany, India and Brazil, has been campaigning for a permanent seat on an expanded Security Council. Kawaguchi, a former Japanese foreign minister, planned to leave Manila Tuesday. — AP