Japanese PM heads for UN General Assembly

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Monday left for New York to attend the 69th session of the UN General Assembly and is expected to have talks with his counterparts during the trip.

According to government officials, Abe is also expected to pledge $50 million in humanitarian assistance to the Middle East, which will be used to help address the crisis caused there by the Islamic State (IS), Xinhua reported.

Abe will be holding talks with UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, and the leaders of France, Australia and Egypt before returning to Japan Saturday.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has arrived in New York and will also attend the UN assembly related events.