Lebanese Prime Minister visits japan

Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri took off Sunday for a four-day official visit to Japan during which he will discuss the Middle East peace process, bilateral ties and Lebanon's reconstruction

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Hariri was heading a Lebanese delegation of cabinet members and businessmen for the visit, the second by Hariri to Japan in as many years

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He was scheduled to meet on Monday with Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. He will also meet with Emperor Akihito. Hariri was expected to sign agreements on economic cooperation and trade during the visit, which will run through Thursday

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Also on the agenda are talks between Israel and the Arabs, which have been deadlocked since 1996

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Talks between the two sides may also include the case of five Japanese Red Army members who were jailed in Lebanon earlier this year. The five were arrested in Beirut in February for illegally entering Lebanon with forged passports. They were convicted and sentenced to three years in jail.

The members include Kozo Okamoto, who is notorious for his 1972 attack on an Israeli airport in which 24 people were killed

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Japan requested the extradition of the five to stand trial in Japan on terrorism charges. But Lebanese authorities said they would consider handing them to Japanese authorities after they finish serving their sentence in Lebanon.