Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Tuesday left for Israel and Palestine before attending the Group of Eight summit meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Koizumi will be the second Japanese premier to visit Israel. He will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Moshe Katsav In Jerusalem on Wednesday, and then travel to Ramallah for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Kyodo News said.

Koizumi plans to have a short stop in Jordan before continues his trip on Saturday for Russia.

The prime minister had planned to visit the Middle East in January, but put off the itinerary because of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's sudden illness.

Japanese media said Koizumi, during his trip, will offer continued humanitarian assistance to Palestine through the United Nations' agencies and other nongovernmental bodies.

Source: Xinhua