JAPAN'S PRIME MINISTER JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI AND CROWN PRINCE SULTAN BIN ABDULAZIZ, THE DEPUTY PREMIER, MINISTER OF DEFENSE AND AVIATION AND INSPECTOR GENERAL, HELD A ROUND OF TALKS AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF JAPAN'S CABINET. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE VENUE, MEMORIAL PHOTOS WERE TAKEN. THEN THE MEETING WAS ATTENDED BY THE DELEGATIONS OF THE TWO COUNTRIES. AT THE OUTSET OF THE MEETING, THE JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER HANDED OVER A MEMORIAL GIFT TO CROWN PRINCE SULTAN AS WELL AS MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN DURING PRINCE SULTAN'S FIRST VISIT TO JAPAN IN 1960. JAPAN'S PRIME MINISTER THEN WELCOMED CROWN PRINCE SULTAN, WISHING HIM AND HIS ACCOMPANYING DELEGATION A GOOD STAY IN JAPAN. KOIZUMI UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF CROWN PRINCE SULTAN'S VISIT TO JAPAN, SAYING IT WOULD FURTHER BOOST THE BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES AND PROVIDE A CHANCE TO EXCHANGE VIEW POINTS ON ISSUES OF MUTUAL CONCERN. ON HIS PART, THE CROWN PRINCE EXPRESSED HIS THANKS TO AND APPRECIATION OF THE JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER FOR A WARM WELCOME AND GENEROUS HOSPITALITY ACCORDED TO HIM AND HIS DELEGATION. --MORE 19 35 LOCAL TIME 16 35 GMT
