Japanese FM cancels planned visit to US
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Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada's planned visit to the United States possibly later this week for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been canceled due to Japan's parliamentary schedule, the Japanese government's top spokesman said Wednesday.
At a regular press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano confirmed the cancellation, saying the talks have been canceled as it is difficult for Okada to leave Japan during the ongoing Diet deliberations.
Hirano denied the cancellation will have any negative effect on Japan-U.S. relations ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's Nov. 12-13 visit to Japan.
Over the weekend, the U.S. State Department said Clinton and Okada would meet Friday in Washington, but soon retracted the announcement.
