Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi left Japan April 28, 2005, kicking off his six-day visit to four Asian and European countries.

TOKYO, April 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi left Japan late Thursday, kicking off his six-day visit to four Asian and European countries.

    On the first leg in India, he is scheduled to meet with Indian Prime Minister Mannohan Singh on strengthening bilateral economic relations and their efforts for permanent membership in the United Nation's Security Council.

    Koizumi then will travel to Islamabad on Saturday. He will hold talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to discuss, among other things, Tokyo's resumption of yen loans, which were halted following Pakistan's nuclear tests in1998.

    The premier will arrive in Luxembourg on Sunday to attend an annual summit between Japan and the European Union on Monday with Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker as EU president and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

    In addition to seek EU's support for Japan's permanent membership bid, the premier is expected to reiterate Japan's opposition to EU's lifting an arms embargo on China at an early stage, and urge for the reopening of the six-party talks on the nuclear standoff in the Korean Peninsular.

    Before flying home, Koizumi will also briefly visit the Netherlands to extend appreciation to Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende on their cooperation in Iraq. Dutch troops provided protection to Japan's Self-Defense Forces in southern Iraq. Enditem