Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Wednesday it would be important for trilateral talks to be held between Japan, China and the United States and that peace and prosperity could be achieved if the three nations enhanced cooperation.

Speaking at the Japan's National Press Club, Gemba said that Japan should do its utmost to promote three-way talks between the countries' top diplomats and that the time was ripe for more, multilateral strategic dialogue.

"Japan will play a pivotal role in constructing an open, multilayered network of cooperation in the fast-growing region and has no plans to encircle or exclude China in this endeavor," the foreign minister said.

"For this reason, now more than ever before, a strategic dialogue and partnership between Japan, the United States and China is important," he said, adding that the three nations must hold hands and cooperate towards the common goals of peace and prosperity.

Gemba, 47, who took office in September as Japan's youngest foreign minister since World War II, said that while it was important for Japan to deepen its alliance with the U.S., it's key security ally, this would not be done at the risk of excluding China.

"The Japan-U.S. alliance is the cornerstone of Tokyo's foreign policy, but China's full participation is indispensable," said Gemba.

The foreign minister said that he wished the three countries to discuss pressing regional issues on a ministerial level and that he planned to float the idea to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his U.S. counterpart, during talks scheduled in Washington from Sunday.

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