Obama to visit Japan April 23-25

US President Barack Obama will make a three-day visit toJapan from April 23-25 to further strengthen relations between the two countries,the Japanese Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.Obama is scheduled to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and meetEmperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, the ministry said in a statement.The president is also expected to take part in a series of events, it said. At a meetingon Monday here with US Senate and House of Representatives members, Abeexpressed hope that Obama's visit to Japan will send a strong signal at home andabroad about the strength of the alliance between the two countries.Japan is the first leg of his week-long Asian tour that will also take him to SouthKorea, Malaysia and the Philippines. In Seoul, Obama will hold talks with PresidentPark Geun-hye during his two-day visit from April 25, Yonhap News Agency reportedTuesday, citing South Korea's presidential spokesman. The two leaders are expectedto discuss the alliance, North Korea and its nuclear program, as well as otherregional and global issues, he said.