Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida's regional diplomacy skills were to be tested in Brunei from Saturday as he looks to improve ties with China and South Korea.
Japan's relations with both neighbors have been strained by differences of perception regarding its wartime history and disputes over the Japan-controlled Senkakus chain in the East China Sea, which is claimed by China and Taiwan, and a pair of South Korean-held but Japan-claimed islets in the Sea of Japan.
Kishida planned to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday and with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se the following day on the sidelines of a series of meetings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its dialogue partners, according to Japanese government sources.