Koizumi visits Central Asia with energy agenda

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will become the first leader from Japan to visit Central Asia where he will look to vie for the region's rich energy resources.

Japan is competing with fast-growing China and Russia for influence in the region's abundant oil and natural gas reserves.


Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visits central Asia this week to meet with leaders in the energy-rich region. AFP/File/Toshifumi Kitamura phot via Yahoo News.

The nation imports nearly all of its oil as is otherwise highly reliant on foreign energy sources.

Koizumi, who leaves office next month, will meet with Presidents Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan and Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan during his four-day trip to the two countries starting Monday.