TOKYO, June 5: Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi cancelled a scheduled trip to India on Wednesday, a day before her departure, although she will still visit the Middle East as planned in an effort to defuse tensions in the region.

A spokeswoman at the foreign ministry could not give a specific reason for the cancellation, saying only that “there were various considerations”.

Kyodo news agency, however, said that Kawaguchi faced difficulties arranging meetings with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vaypayee and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh.

Kawaguchi will leave for Israel and Palestine on Friday

—Reuters