Japan, China and South Korea are making arrangements to hold a meeting of their foreign ministers in Tokyo as early as March 22, several sources said Thursday.
The ministers are expected to confirm the continuation of their countries' economic cooperation and discuss a possible trilateral summit later this year.
Japan and China are also considering holding a ministerial-level economic dialogue.
The foreign ministers' meeting will be the first among the three Asian neighbors since the last meeting was held in Busan, South Korea, in November 2023.
At the upcoming meeting, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his South Korean and Chinese counterparts, Cho Tae-yul and Wang Yi, respectively, are likely to agree that their countries will continue to cooperate in fields such as people-to-people exchanges, technology, public health, economy and trade.
Meanwhile, the high-level economic dialogue chaired by the foreign ministers of Japan and China is expected to be held for the first time in about six years. It is expected to focus on whether the two countries can make progress in expanding Japan's rice exports to China and resuming China's imports of Japanese fishery products and beef.
Iwaya is also planning to hold separate talks with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts. He is seen seeking to confirm with the South Korean minister that Japan and South Korea will accelerate efforts to improve their relations, despite the current political turmoil in South Korea, as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic ties.
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