Japanese Kyodo News Agency
November 7
apanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi asked a fellow lawmaker on Wednesday to deliver a letter to Uzbek President Islam Karimov in which the Japanese leader expresses Tokyo's support for Uzbekistan's antiterrorism efforts.
Koizumi met with Nariaki Nakayama, a House of Representatives member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, before the latter leaves Friday for Uzbekistan to privately visit his ambassador wife Kyoko.
Nakayama said after his meeting with Koizumi at the prime minister's official residence that Koizumi's letter is in response to Karimov's letter in late October and expresses ''Japan's support for Uzbekistan in light of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.''