Ministers in charge of tourism from Japan, China and South Korea agreed on Sunday to work together to boost the number of visitors among the three countries.

Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa, China's National Tourism Chief Shao Qiwei and South Korean Culture and Tourism Chief Kim Myong-gon signed a joint statement that included an effort to boost the number of visitors among the three nations to 17 million from the current 12 million within the next five years.

In their first tourism summit held in Kushiro on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, the three leaders also agreed to activate tourism through school trips and promotional events in the region, public broadcaster NHK reported.

"It is extremely important for Japan, China and South Korea to respect each of our cultures and promote people exchanges among us essential partners," Kitagawa told a news conference after signing the agreement.

The three countries also agreed to hold tripartite tourism talks annually.