Okada to visit China next week to meet Chinese, S. Korean counterparts

TOKYO, Sept. 25 Kyodo -
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada will visit Shanghai on Monday and
Tuesday to attend talks with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts, the
Japanese Foreign Ministry said Friday.
The trilateral foreign ministerial meeting is aimed at laying the groundwork
for the upcoming summit among the leaders of the three countries in Beijing and
reaffirming cooperation among the three nations. Issues related to North
Korea's nuclear development program are likely to be touched on, a Foreign
Ministry official said.
The talks follow new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's diplomatic debut in the
United States, during which he said he would seek a regional community in East
Asia to promote stable economic cooperation and national security across the
region. His idea also eyes the possibility of regional currency integration.
The official said that Okada, who accompanied Hatoyama to the United States,
may possibly bring up the ''East Asian Community'' concept during the
discussions in China.
The last such three-way foreign ministerial meeting was held in June last year
in Tokyo.
During his stay in China, Okada is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting
with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. Okada and South Korean foreign
minister Yu Myung Hwan are expected to head to Tokyo on Tuesday and hold talks
in the Japanese capital.
The three-way summit among the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea will be
held in Beijing on Oct. 10, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The tripartite meeting among Hatoyama, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South
Korean President Lee Myung Bak will see the Japanese premier make his first
visit to China since taking office Sept. 16.
==Kyodo