TOKYO, Aug 16: Japan’s defence minister will head to Pakistan next week at the same time as a major visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India, an official said on Thursday. Mr Abe has long championed nurturing ties with India to balance Tokyo’s frequent tensions with China.

At the same time as his visit there, Defence Minister Yuriko Koike will fly to Pakistan as ‘a special envoy of the prime minister,’ according to a spokesman.

She would hold talks in Islamabad on Wednesday with Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal, the spokesman said.

Japanese media reports said she was also expected to meet President Pervez Musharraf.

Ms Koike will visit New Delhi on the heels of Mr Abe but has no joint schedule with him. She would meet on Friday her Indian counterpart A.K. Antony, the spokesman said.

Mr Abe’s visit to India is part of a week-long tour beginning on Sunday that will also take him to Indonesia and Malaysia.—AFP