President Aquino visits tsunami-hit areas in Japan

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III was travelling to a disaster zone in north-eastern Japan yesterday, to meet local officials and victims of the March tsunami. Aquino was to visit the city of Ishinomaki in the afternoon, one of the areas hit hardest by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, to meet Mayor Hiroshi Kameyama and stop by at local school, a city official said. The disaster left some 15,800 dead and more than 4,000 missing. Aquino arrived in Japan Sunday for a four-day visit during which he will also meet with Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Aquino was scheduled to hold talks with the premier today and expected to raise the delicate security situation in the Korean Peninsula and the maritime dispute over a chain of islands in th-e South China Sea, Kyodo News reported. Aquino will tell Noda that the Philippines supports “efforts to secure the resumption of the six-party talks” to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, Kyodo said, citing a Philippine government document. The talks, which were last held in December 2008, involve the two Koreas, Japan, China, Russia and the US. On the South China Sea issue, the president will stress that Japan and the Philippines “have a shared stake” in preserving the peace and securing freedom of navigation in the region, Kyodo reported. Today, the president will also attend a business forum, meeting with Japanese business leaders.