The foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea are set to discuss Saturday in Kyoto their cooperation in ensuring disaster preparedness and the safety of nuclear power generation in East Asia, following a devastating quake and tsunami that hit Japan last week.

Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto is expected to brief Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Kim Sung Hwan on how Japan is coping with the aftermath of the magnitude 9.0 temblor and the ensuing tsunami, as well as an unfolding nuclear crisis at a power station in Fukushima Prefecture.

The three ministers will also likely address North Korea's nuclear programs in their one-day meeting in the ancient Japanese capital, which is aimed at laying the groundwork for a trilateral summit to be held in Japan possibly in late May.

The three-way annual summit, which was launched in 2008, has discussed promoting cooperation among the three major Asian economies in 13 areas such as trade, energy, environment, tourism, technology, logistics, health and disaster preparedness.

The three countries have been negotiating a trilateral pact to facilitate investment and studying the possibility of concluding a free trade agreement, as well as promoting exchanges of college students.

Prior to the trilateral ministerial meeting at the Kyoto State Guest House, Matsumoto held talks bilaterally with Kim to express Tokyo's appreciation to Seoul for dispatching a rescue team to the disaster-hit area in Japan.

Matsumoto, who took office earlier this month, will also meet with Yang before hosting the trilateral meeting in the evening.

==Kyodo