JERUSALEM -The Japanese foreign minister yesterday asked Israel to end weapons sales to Japan's neighbours, but said Japan wants to expand defence cooperation with Israel.

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura is in the region for talks with both the Israelis and the Palestinians. Machimura said Japan wanted to play a greater role in the Middle East peace process.

Speaking at a news conference, Machimura said that in talks with his Israeli counterpart, Silvan Shalom, he passed the request to end arms sales to east Asian countries.

Machimura said his government had recently made similar requests to Russia and the European Union. He did not specify which countries Japan was concerned about.
In recent days Israel has been embroiled in a row with the United States over the sale of Israeli pilotless planes to China.

The Japanese minister said the talks with Shalom also focused on expanding cooperation between the two countries in counter-terror expertise and defence.

In December, Japan approved new defence guidelines that include the relaxation of an arms export ban to facilitate a missile security programme it is researching with Washington.

Israel has the only operational anti-missile defence system, the Arrow, developed jointly with the United States.

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