The foreign and defence ministers of Japan and the United States will hold talks on aspects of security and co-operation in Washington on Wednesday, the Asian nation’s foreign ministry said.

The so-called “2 plus 2” meeting of the allies will discuss security challenges and co-operation on ways to achieve a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, the ministry added on Friday.

The meeting will be held ahead of talks between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Jan. 13.