Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada will visit Shanghai on Monday and Tuesday to attend talks with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

The trilateral foreign ministerial meeting is aimed at laying the groundwork for the upcoming trilateral leader summit in Beijing and for 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 entertains the possibility of conducting a regional currency integration.

The official said Okada, who accompanied Hatoyama to the United States, may bring up the "East Asian Community" concept at the talks in China.

The last three-way foreign ministerial meeting was held in June 2008 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 for more talks.

The three-way summit for the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea will be held in Beijing on Oct. 10, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.