Japan foreign minister discuss drug trafficking with four Central Asian nations

Japan foreign minister discuss drug trafficking with four Central Asian nations

Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso and his counterparts from Uzbekistan, Kyrgysztan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, as well as Afghanistan as an observer, were expected to approve an action plan that would also seek to combat drug trafficking and promote human rights in the region, ministry official Keisuke Tamura said.

Central Asia, a predominantly Muslim region which borders Afghanistan, saw a spread of radical Islamic groups after the 1991 Soviet collapse, the AP reports.

Aso was to also have separate bilateral meetings with each minister from the participating nations later Monday and Tuesday to discuss regional and bilateral issues, the ministry said.