Japanese PM leaves for 1st visit to US

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-26-2007 13:50

U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are no strangers.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left for his first summit trip to Japan's top ally, the US.

During the two-day visit, Abe will meet with US President George W. Bush at the White House and Camp David. The visit marks Abe's first US trip as prime minister.

Japan is a large financial contributor to the US-led war in Iraq, and an ally in pressuring the DPRK to abandon its nuclear program. The prime minister broke with tradition by making China, not the US, his first summit stop in a bid to repair ties with Beijing.

Abe and Bush met for the first time in November on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Vietnam.

Editor:Du Xiaodan