Tokyo notified Seoul that it would go ahead and host the annual meeting set for Saturday, the foreign ministry official said. The two sides are discussing specific schedules for the talks, the official said.
The original plan had called for the three foreign ministers -- Kim Sung-hwan of South Korea, Takeaki Matsumoto of Japan and Yang Jiechi of China -- to hold additional friendship events on Sunday, but those events are expected to be called off, the official said.
This week`s meeting is expected to focus on cooperation to cope with the aftermath of the massive quake and tsunami that devastated the coastal regions in northeastern Japan. By official count, about 2,300 people were killed or missing, but media reports say the number could be much higher, even over 20,000.
The three countries have held a foreign ministers` meeting every year since 2007.(*)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
