British foreign secretary in Japan for talks on security and trade

PanARMENIAN.Net - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrived in Japan on Thursday, July 20 for talks on security and trade, and to share his experience of hosting the Olympics as London mayor five years ago, The Associated Press reports.

Johnson will meet with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, on Friday to discuss an increased foreign and security cooperation, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry. North Korea’s missile threat and Brexit are likely to top the agenda.

Johnson, who was mayor of London during the 2012 Olympics, plans to share his expertise with Japanese Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa to help Tokyo prepare for the 2020 Games. He said he saw closely how the games unified and lifted the country’s capital.

“I’m proud that our world-leading expertise in staging major events will help to forge an even stronger UK-Japan partnership ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games,” he said in a statement released by his office.

Later Thursday, Johnson will visit a robotics center at Tokyo’s Waseda University, which collaborates with the University of Birmingham, according to Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is also due to meet with Japanese business leaders for talks on enhanced trade and investment during his three-day visit in Japan before traveling to New Zealand and Australia.