Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Friday she will make a two-day visit to China beginning April 3 to discuss bilateral relations and the North Korean nuclear standoff with her Chinese counterpart, Li Zhaoxing.
She told reporters she will meet Li on April 3. Foreign Ministry officials said the ministry is also trying to arrange a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Kawaguchi hopes to pave the way for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to visit Beijing. Koizumi has been unable to make the trip due to China's anger over his repeated visits to Tokyo's war-related Yasukuni Shrine, the officials said.
Earlier this month, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao slammed Koizumi's visits to the Shinto shrine, saying they are the key problem in relations between the two countries.