Indian foreign minister to visit Japan on friday

Indian Minister of External Affairs S.M. Krishna will pay a visit to Japan later this week during which the two countries will hold their fifth strategic dialogue, said Indian foreign ministry in a statement Tuesday. Krishna will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba in Tokyo from Oct. 28 to 29 to review all aspects of the bilateral strategic and global partnership and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest, said the statement relayed by the PTI. Krishna will also call on Japan''s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. The talks are also expected to set the stage for Noda''s visit to New Delhi in December for annual summit with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said Indo-Asian News Service. Maritime security will be top of the agenda, as the two countries will look for different ways to deepen their cooperation in combating piracy that has the potential to adversely affect their maritime trade and security, according to the news service. The fate of proposed India- Japan nuclear deal has become uncertain following explosions at nuclear power plant in Japan in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami four days ago, local daily The Tribune had recently said . India and Japan have been negotiating a nuclear agreement since June last year.