Iwaya, Wang Talk about Upcoming Trilateral Meeting in Johannesburg; Japan, China, S. Korea Foreign Ministers to Meet in Tokyo

By Hirotaka Kuriyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:46 JST, February 22, 2025

JOHANNESBURG — Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi briefly spoke on Thursday about an upcoming trilateral meeting between Japan, China and South Korea, according to a Foreign Ministry official.

The two spoke between sessions of the Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting in Johannesburg, Iwaya said Friday.

The meeting between the three countries’ foreign ministers is being coordinated to be held in Tokyo on March 22.

“It was a brief conversation,” Iwaya said. “I’d like to withhold the details.”

Iwaya did not speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was also at the G20 ministerial meeting.

Regarding the ceasefire negotiations over Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Iwaya said, “I hope that the fighting will end soon through diplomatic efforts.”

“However, wrong lessons must not be learned,” he added.