Opposition DP Leader to Meet Japan’s Ozawa
By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
Rep. Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, will meet with Ichiro Ozawa, secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in Tokyo today, according to sources. He will stay in Japan until Sunday.
Ozawa is one of the most influential politicians in Japan and known for having crafted the liberal party's winning campaign strategy in the country's Aug. 30 general elections.
In the elections, the DPJ defeated the Liberal Democratic Party, which had been in power since its formation in 1955, except for an 11-month period from 1993 to 1994.
Chung and Ozawa will discuss major bilateral issues and ways to resolve the nuclear standoff with North Korea, the sources said.
On Friday and Saturday, Chung will attend a memorial service to be held in Tokyo to honor the legacy of the late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. The Nobel Peace laureate died at the age of 85 in August.
Chung also plans to meet with officials of the Korean Residents Association in Japan. Several DP lawmakers, including Moon Hee-sang and Song Young-gil, will accompany Chung on his four-day trip to Tokyo.