TOKYO (Reuters) — Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will travel to South Korea on Monday to shore up security cooperation between the East Asian neighbors and their mutual U.S. ally that is meant to counter China’s growing regional power.

Iwaya, who will be the first Japanese foreign minister to visit Seoul in seven years, will meet with his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul and Acting President Choi Sang-mok, the Japanese government said.