Japan and South Korea were to hold a deputy foreign ministerial meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said, a move apparently aimed at working toward a three-way summit with China.
A three-way summit has not been held this year due to the friction over territorial issues and Japan's wartime conduct. South Korea was supposed to host this year's meeting.
The meeting Tuesday was to be held between Deputy Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama and Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Kyung-soo.