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.

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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 January 13.

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