Japanese PM leaves for Canada, New York

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left here on Monday for Canada and the US to hold talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and attend the UN General Assembly in New York. On the first leg of his five-day North American tour in Ottawa, Abe and Harper will exchange views on the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations, in which both countries are engaged. The multilateral free trade agreement aims to further liberalize the economies of 12 Pacific-rim countries, including Australia, Vietnam and Singapore. The two leaders are also expected to discuss exports of shale gas from Canada to Japan, and cooperation between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Canadian Army on logistics support and other matters, Kyodo News Agency reported, citing government officials. Abe will then fly to New York to deliver a speech at the General Assembly on Thursday about Japan's vision and stance on global issues facing the international community. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with French President Francois Hollande and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to discuss the situation in Syria and other issues. According to Kyodo, at the General Assembly, the premier is expected to announce fresh aid worth USD 60 million to support Syrian refugees, up from the earlier planned USD 10 million. "I would like to make clear our policy of contributing toward (the resolution of) the Syrian issue" when addressing the assembly, Abe told reporters prior to his departure from Tokyo's airport. Syria has agreed to comply with a US-Russian deal to place its chemical weapons under international supervision after UN inspectors concluded chemical weapons had been used in the Aug. 21 attack that killed more than 1,400 people, without laying the blame on any party.