Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan has officially requested that Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama make his first visit to South Korea.

During a visit to the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo on Wednesday, the foreign minister said bilateral visits by the two countries’ leaders will promote Japan-South Korea cooperation and also relations at the Cabinet level.

Yu expressed expectations for stronger ties with Japan’s new government.

Hatoyama reconfirmed his willingness to bolster ties with Seoul, stressing that stability on the Korean Peninsula is important to peace in Northeast Asia and the world.