TOKYO, July 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has announced on Friday he will pay official visits to Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine on July 15-18.

In Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) he will have a meeting with foreign ministers of the region’s five countries - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan to discuss economic and humanitarian issues. The local media report Tokyo plans to develop its presence in Central Asia to have a deterrent effect on expansion of China’s influence there.

In Kiev, Japan’s foreign minister will have negotiations with Ukraine’s top leadership. It is expected he will announce Japan will offer economic assistance to Ukraine.

On July 10, Fumio Kishida before his trip to Ukraine has separate telephone consultations with German and French counterparts - Laurent Fabius and Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Japan’s foreign ministry reports the parties have support peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine by means of a dialogue between the opposing forces.