Japan, U.S. work on Aso-Obama talks

TOKYO, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Japanese goverenment officials are working with U.S. counterparts to schedule talks between Prime Minister Taro Aso and President Barack Obama, officials said.

Coordinators in Tokyo said they hoped they could schedule a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in the United States by the end of March before a financial summit in London April 2, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported Wednesday.

The talks were expected to focus on economic issues, as well as reaffirming Japan-U.S. alliances regarding climate change, terrorism and North Korea-related issues, such as its denuclearization plan and the abduction of Japanese nationals, the newspaper said.