SEOUL, Jan 13, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's foreign minister will hold talks in 
South Korea with top officials Monday as the Asian neighbours seek to 
strengthen ties before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.

Takeshi Iwaya will meet counterpart Cho Tae-yul for talks in the capital 
Seoul before a joint press conference, the South Korean foreign ministry 
said.

It is the first such meeting by Tokyo's top diplomat in Asia's fourth-biggest 
economy for more than six years.

Iwaya is scheduled to meet acting president Choi Sang-mok on Tuesday, the 
Japanese government said.

The talks are expected to centre on trilateral cooperation with mutual ally 
the United States before Trump takes office on January 20.

The three nations have bolstered security cooperation in recent years, 
including sharing information on North Korean missile launches.

The latest such test was last week when Pyongyang said it had fired a new 
hypersonic missile, the same day US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was 
visiting Seoul.

The Seoul-Tokyo meeting comes as South Korean officials try to reassure 
allies of the country's stability.

A political crisis has roiled the vibrant East Asian democracy for weeks 
following suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid and 
impeachment.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said last month Tokyo was monitoring 
the situation in South Korea with "exceptional and serious concerns".

US-Japanese relations have also been strained by President Joe Biden's 
decision to block Nippon Steel's takeover of US Steel.

Citing national security concerns, Biden blocked the $14.9 billion sale this 
month and Ishiba reportedly told the US president that "strong" concerns have 
been raised over the decision.

Iwaya will on Tuesday head to the Philippines as Tokyo seeks to strengthen 
its strategic partnership with the Southeast Asian nation, to counter China's 
growing military might and influence in the region.

Japan has been building the newest and largest ships of the Philippine Coast 
Guard, a key element of Manila's efforts to assert its sovereignty in the 
South China Sea which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.