TOKYO, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Japan will host a foreign ministerial meeting with Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos in the middle of next month to enhance regional cooperation, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

    Economic cooperation and cultural exchanges are expected to be topics of the one-day meeting on Jan. 16 which gathers foreign ministers from the Mekong region, with an aim to boost cooperation between Japan and the five nations in political, economic and cultural areas, the ministry said.

    Besides, the ministers will also hold bilateral meetings on Jan.16-17. An investment promotion seminar is scheduled to be held on Jan. 17, with the foreign ministers slated to attend.

    It would be the first foreign ministerial meeting between Japan and these Mekong nations, the ministry said.