TOKYO (AFP) - New Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will fly to South Korea next week in a bid to repair strained relations, reports said, but officials in the two countries cast doubt on the date.

Japan"s Kyodo News, quoting unnamed sources Friday, said Abe will visit South Korea "around October 7" and meet with President Roh Moo-Hyun.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun business daily also said on its website that the two countries were aiming for an October 7 summit, and said Abe may head on to China "immediately afterwards."

South Korea"s Yonhap News said Roh and Abe had agreed in telephone talks Thursday to meet sometime between October 10 and 20.

But Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said no exact schedule has yet been decided for Abe to meet his counterparts either from Seoul or Beijing.

"When the prime minister and President Roh spoke over the phone, they agreed to meet soon, but no specific date has yet been decided," Aso said at a news conference.

Roh"s spokesman Yoon Tae-young was also doubtful about the timing of the visit, as it would fall during a holiday.

"A summit with Japan is unlikely to take place during the Chuseok holiday. The summit schedule has yet to be confirmed as bilateral diplomatic contacts are still under way," Yoon told a press briefing.

South Korean and Chinese leaders had refused to meet Abe"s predecessor Junichiro Koizumi since last year due to his repeated visits to a war shrine linked to Japan"s militarist past.

Japanese officials have voiced hope that Abe could meet Chinese and South Korean leaders on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific forum in Vietnam in November, but reports said Tokyo was optimistic for talks before then.

Abe spoke by telephone with Roh on Thursday and said he planned to meet with him soon.

"I proposed to hold a summit meeting at the earliest possible time as it is necessary for both leaders to talk with each other without reserve," Abe told reporters Thursday.

In an attempt to jump-start diplomacy with Chinese leaders, Japanese officials met with Chinese vice foreign minister Dai Bingguo in Tokyo earlier this month.

"I"ve also met Mr. Dai many times," said Aso, the foreign minister. "You can see that as a sign of progress."

Abe, 52, is known for his nationalist views but has started off on a conciliatory note with neighboring countries. Delivering his first policy speech to parliament Friday, he said ties with China and South Korea were "very important."

When Roh took office in 2003, he and Koizumi agreed to visit each other"s countries for a summit every six months.

But the so-called "shuttle diplomacy" ended last year amid feuds over the Yasukuni war shrine and disputed islands.