Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara is starting a five-day visit to the United States on Thursday to prepare his premier's visit and discuss the relations between the two Koreas.
Maehara is expected to meet with U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton to address preparations for Prime Minister Naoto Kan's visit to the U.S., due in spring, during which Kan and President Barack Obama are to adopt a statement on boosting security cooperation.
The foreign minister will also exchange opinions with American partners on the resumption of six-sided talks to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, as well as talk of possible ways to ease tensions there.
The situation on the peninsula remains strained after Pyongyang shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea in November, killing four people.
In December, Seoul held large-scale military drills involving hundreds of military personnel and more than 100 types of weapons, including tanks, anti-tank missiles, helicopters and fighter jets. North Korea then warned its opponent of a possible "holy war" using its nuclear deterrent.
TOKYO, January 6 (RIA Novosti)
