The discussions in Tokyo were billed as a chance to improve historically frosty relations against a backdrop of US trade tariffs, North Korea's missile activities and the Ukraine war.

But Japan on Monday took exception to a Chinese statement that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that he "respects the positions elaborated by the Chinese side".

Chief government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said Japan had "protested to the Chinese side... and asked to immediately remove the inaccurate statement".

"Since this is a diplomatic exchange, I will refrain from disclosing the details, including the Chinese response. It is regrettable that an announcement different from the facts was issued," Hayashi told a regular briefing.

"Is it not a normal thing for countries to respect each other's positions in their interactions with each other?," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday when asked about Japan's protest.

"As far as I know, this important and beneficial meeting and interaction between China and Japan embodied this spirit," he said.

The talks on Saturday followed a rare summit in May in Seoul and came ahead of a mooted state visit to Japan by China's President Xi Jinping.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said he, Wang and South Korea's Cho Tae-yul "had a frank exchange of views on trilateral cooperation and regional international affairs... and confirmed that we will promote future-orientated cooperation".

"The international situation has become increasingly severe, and it is no exaggeration to say that we are at a turning point in history," Iwaya said.

Patricia M. Kim, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said that while "trilateral dialogues have been ongoing for over a decade", this round "carries heightened significance" due to the new US position.

Beijing "has been working actively to improve relations with other major and middle powers amid growing frictions with the United States", she said before the talks.