Japan FM visits Madrid

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida was to begin an official visit to Spain on Tuesday. "I will continue to visit foreign countries actively this year, protect national interests and press ahead with diplomacy that contributes to world peace and stability," he said on his ministry's Facebook page. During his two-day stay in Madrid, Kishid is scheduled to hold talks with King Juan Carlos I, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said in a release. The Japanese dignitary's visit to Spain comes just three months after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy went to the Asian country to promote foreign investment in Spain. He is expected to discuss with Spanish officials bilateral cooperative agreements signed during Rajoy's visit to Japan, together with the current world economic situation.