British Secretary in Japan for Talks

TOKYO (AP) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrived in Japan on Thursday for talks on security and trade, and to share his experience of hosting the Olympics as London mayor five years ago.

Johnson will meet with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, on Friday to discuss an increased foreign and security cooperation, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry. North Korea's missile threat and Brexit are likely to top the agenda.

On Thursday, Johnson was introduced to cutting-edge humanoid robots at the Research Institute for Science and Engineering at Tokyo's prestigious Waseda University.

Johnson was beaming as he encountered the "Wabian 2" walking robot, which university scientists said can run, hop and may even get to carry the Olympic torch ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

"He looks as though he is about to do martial arts," Johnson said as the robot walked. "I don't believe it, I just don't believe it."

He also saw a disaster response robot called "Octopus," which he said reminded him of the 1987 movie "Robocop."

Johnson, who was mayor of London during the 2012 Olympics, plans to share his expertise Friday with Japanese Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa to help Tokyo prepare for the 2020 Games.

He said he saw closely how the games unified and lifted the country's capital.

"I'm proud that our world-leading expertise in staging major events will help to forge an even stronger UK-Japan partnership ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games," he said in a statement released by his office.

Johnson is also due to meet with Japanese business leaders for talks on enhanced trade and investment during his three-day visit in Japan before traveling to New Zealand and Australia.

(KA)