Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa arrived in Beijing on Saturday for talks with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.

He is the first Japanese foreign minister to visit China since December 2019.

In their meeting on Sunday, Hayashi is likely to express deep concern over China's increasing military activities around Japan, including the East China Sea, where the Senkaku Islands are located.

Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory, in terms of history and international law. It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them.

The ministers will likely discuss Ukraine, where Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio visited in March.

Hayashi is expected to urge Beijing to play a responsible role, following President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow in March.

Hayashi will also likely push for the release of Japanese nationals being held in China. They include a male employee of a major Japanese pharmaceutical firm who was detained in March.

The foreign minister also plans to reaffirm Japan and China's commitment to building constructive and stable relations.