Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi left Thursday for India on the first stop of a four-nation tour to seek support for Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. Koizumi will also visit Pakistan, the Netherlands and Luxembourg during his six-day trip. He is expected to seek support for Japan's bid for a permanent seat in an expanded U.N. Security Council _ an honor India also wants as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan moves to reform the world body. On his first leg of the tour, Koizumi was expected to arrive in New Delhi later Thursday. During a three-day stay, Koizumi will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Japanese and Indian leaders plan to sign a joint statement on support for each other's bid for a Council seat, and stress how India and Japan can work together toward stability and prosperity in Asia. On Saturday, Koizumi will fly to Islamabad for talks with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, with the main agenda focused on the issue of resumption of Japanese loans.
