TOKYO -- As China ramps up overtures to bring Europe into its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks stronger ties with Central and Eastern European nations to offer the region an alternative path to economic recovery.
Abe's visit to Slovakia this month will mark the first by a Japanese prime minister. He plans to speak further with leaders from the Visegrad Four -- the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia -- following up on a meeting on the sidelines of an international conference in Brussels in October.
