Japanese foreign minister visits Indonesia

Newly appointed Japanese foreign minister Katsuya Okada visited Indonesia on Tuesday promising further aid for the Sumatra quake victims while seeking to expand investments in the Southeast Asian nation. Okada arrived in capital city Jakarta and met with his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda on the first day of his two-day tour of the archipelago of 17,000 islands. He praised Indonesia's democratic credentials while expressing condolence for the dead in the September 30 earthquake that has killed nearly 1,000 people. Japan had dispatched a rescue team and has set up relief operations in Padang, West Sumatra which was most affected by the 7.6 magnitude earthquake.