Pacific leaders in Japan for alliance meeting

TOKYO – Pacific leaders are now gathering in Japan for this week’s Pacific Alliance Leaders’ Meeting, or PALM.

The meeting is to be held in Tokyo and Iwaki City until May 23.

The summit, held every three years, focuses on fostering co-operative relationships between the island countries and Japan.

This year’s meeting will include Fiji for the first time since before the 2006 coup when Japan had refused to invite the military-led regime.

But Fiji’s prime minister Frank Bainimarama will be at this meeting and his concerns over Australian and New Zealand dominance of the Pacific Islands Forum are expected to be on the agenda.

The meeting will be co-chaired by Japans’ prime minister Shinzo Abe and President Tommy Remengesau of Palau.