TOKYO (Kyodo) — Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will visit two Central Asian countries, Mongolia and two Pacific island nations, the Japanese government announced Thursday, as Tokyo seeks cooperation to respond to the Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and other problems.

Hayashi will first make a five-day trip until Monday, visiting Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia. Then he will make a three-day tour starting May 6 in Fiji and Palau.

He will meet his counterparts and the leaders of the countries, according to Foreign Ministry officials.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan maintain close relations with Russia and Ukraine.

In Mongolia, Hayashi will seek help in resolving the issue of past abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea, officials said. Ulaanbaatar has close ties with Pyongyang.

The visit to Fiji and Palau comes as Japan promotes a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, a vision advocated by Japan and the United States and widely seen as a counterbalance to China’s growing military and economic influence. China in the region.