Officials denied that upcoming six-nation talks over Pyongyang's stance were on the agenda for the meeting at the hot spring resort of Hakone, southwest of Tokyo, but said there "could be some remarks forthcoming (on the talks)."

The gathering also follows on from a landmark agreement by the leaders of the three countries last year, which promised broad regional links as well as attempts to resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue.

Mitoji Yabunaka, director-general of the foreign ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, hosted the talks, officials said.

China's delegation was led by Cui Tiankai, chief of the Chinese foreign ministry's Asia division, while Chung Sang-Ki, head of the South Korean foreign ministry's Asia-Pacific bureau, represented Seoul

"We will discuss details of our cooperation based on the joint statement issued by our leaders last year," a Japanese foreign ministry official said.

Last October, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun signed their first ever joint statement on the sidelines of their talks with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders.

Under the accord, Japan, China and South Korea agreed to build "across-the-board and future-oriented cooperation in economic, cultural and security areas."

They also underlined their "commitment to a peaceful solution of the nuclear issue facing the Korean peninsula through dialogue."

Yabunaka, who attended May 22's summit between Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, is expected to brief the Chinese and South Korean delegations on that meeting.

Koizumi and Kim discussed North Korea's kidnapping of Japanese nationals, normalising bilateral ties and the nuclear issue.

Yabunaka is also head of Japan's delegation to the six-country talks. China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia and the United States have met twice in Beijing on the nuclear crisis -- in August last year and in February.

The third round of six-nation talks will be held June 23-25 in Beijing, Kyodo news agency reported last week.

The Hakone meeting was also seen as preparing for a gathering of the three countries' foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue forum, scheduled for June 21 and 22 in China.

The forum groups 18 Asian and Middle Eastern countries including the 10 ASEAN members as well as Japan, China and South Korea.

WAR.WIRE