Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit and hold bilateral talks with East Asian neighbors, with the focus on her hawkish approach to regional issues.

During her three-day trip to the city of Gyeongju in the southeast of South Korea, Takaichi will join the two-day summit starting Friday to discuss trade and investment.

A staunch conservative, Takaichi said she will meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung later Thursday, expressing her intention to"have a meaningful meeting." She also said talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping are being arranged for Friday.

"I intend to robustly build cooperative and trusting relationships with other leaders for peace, stability and prosperity in the region," Takaichi told reporters at the prime minister's office before departing Tokyo.

Takaichi will hold a press conference on Saturday to wrap up her trip before leaving for Japan.

Takaichi is known for her past visits to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors the war dead along with Japan's wartime leaders convicted as war criminals by a post-World War II international tribunal. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction with China and South Korea.

At the planned meeting with Lee, Takaichi aims to emphasize her intention to advance"future-oriented" bilateral ties and hold frequent summits, sources familiar with the matter said.

Takaichi and Lee are also expected to affirm the importance of bilateral cooperation as well as trilateral cooperation with the United States in addressing North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development programs, they said.

With Xi, Takaichi is likely to reaffirm Japan and China's shared commitment to promoting a"mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests" and building "constructive and stable" ties, according to the sources.

Takaichi is expected to raise concerns about China's military activities in the East China Sea, including those near the uninhabited Senkaku Islands that are controlled by Japan and claimed by China, the sources said.

Japan's government is also arranging bilateral meetings between Takaichi and the leaders of other participating countries.

Takaichi made her diplomatic debut in person last weekend when she traveled to Malaysia to take part in Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related summit meetings.