Foreign Minister Taro Aso will hold talks with his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on security issues during his four-day visit to Sydney starting Tuesday, Foreign Ministry officials said Friday.
During their first trilateral security dialogue Wednesday afternoon, the three are expected to exchange views on various regional issues, including terrorism and cooperative efforts, the officials said.
Ahead of this, Aso and Rice will meet for a bilateral strategic dialogue, the second of its kind since Rice met last May with then Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, according to the officials.
East Asia, including China and North Korea, is expected to be the focus of their discussions, which will take up the role of Japan-U.S. cooperation in the region following last month's inaugural East Asian Summit in Kuala Lumpur that saw no U.S. participation.
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