Secretary-General departs for official visit to Japan, China and Republic of Korea

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon heads today to Japan to start a two-week official visit to three countries in East Asia that will culminate in his participation at next month’s annual summit of Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized countries.

Mr. Ban will deliver a lecture on climate change at Kyoto University on Sunday, and the following day he will have an audience in Tokyo with the Emperor and Empress of Japan. He will also hold meetings with Crown Prince Naruhito, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura.

The Secretary-General travels on Tuesday to China, where he is slated to hold meetings with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, as well as with the United Nations Country Team. He is also expected to visit Olympic Games sites and speak at the Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.

On Thursday, Mr. Ban will arrive in Seoul, where he will meet President Lee Myung-bak, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and lead a seminar on climate change at the National Assembly.

Seoul National University is conferring an honorary degree on the Secretary-General, who will also attend a Model UN event at Cheongju University.

Mr. Ban then returns to Japan for the final leg of his trip, the G-8 summit at Toyako, Hokkaido, where he will attend sessions on climate change and development for Africa. He will also speak with students at Hokkaido University.