Senior US diplomat to visit South Korea and Japan

US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides will travel to the Republic of Korea and Japan next week with focus on business issues, the State Department said on Friday. In Seoul, Nides will meet with senior government officials to discuss a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues. In addition, he will meet with the American and South Korean business leaders as well as women entrepreneurs and students. While in Tokyo, the senior diplomat will discuss key economic and political issues with Japanese officials. He will be joined by nine US ambassadors from the Asia Pacific region at the Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce Annual Meeting to continue the dialogue with U.S. businesses and its partners abroad started at Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Global Business Conference on Tuesday. At the business conference, Clinton laid out plans for diplomats to promote US business abroad and help create jobs at home. "Deputy Secretary Nides' travel to Korea and Japan reinforces our close consultation and cooperation with the governments of Japan and Korea on a wide range of pressing bilateral, regional and global issues," the State Department said in a statement.