SIMI VALLEY : Nakasone to Visit Reagan at Library
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Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone will meet privately today with former President Ronald Reagan at his presidential library near Simi Valley, officials said.
Nakasone, who is on a speaking tour of Southern California, was unable to attend the opening of the library in November and so accepted a recent invitation from Reagan to visit the facility, said Reagan spokeswoman Cathy Goldberg.
Nakasone, who served as prime minister from 1982 to 1987, always enjoyed a close relationship with the former president. The men often referred to each other by shortened versions of their first names, Ron and Yasu.
Nakasone adds his name to a growing list of dignitaries that have visited the library during the past year.
The $56-million Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was officially dedicated on Nov. 4 during a ceremony that featured President Bush and former chief executives Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon.
Polish President Lech Walesa and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher visited the library last spring before it opened.
Reagan recently extended an invitation to Mikhail Gorbachev but has yet to receive a reply, Goldberg said.
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