Senior diplomats from Japan and China held talks in Tokyo Tuesday on measures to counter North Korea's nuclear provocations, laying the groundwork for a possible July meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Akiba met Chinese counterpart Kong Xuanyou following a recent series of ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests conducted by North Korea.
The meeting is seen as a prelude to possible talks between Abe and Xi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, taking place on July 7 to 8.