The foreign ministers of Japan, South Korea and the United States plan to meet on Thursday in Seoul amid diplomatic efforts to co-ordinate on North Korea, the Japanese government said on Monday.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to arrive in Japan on Wednesday before visits to South Korea and China for talks on how to implement UN Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang, officials said.
"I hear the governments are making arrangements for the foreign ministers' meeting around the 19th," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said at a news conference.
"It's needless to say how important it is for Japan, South Korea and the United States to co-operate with one another when there is a situation like the one today in the Korean peninsula," said the chief government spokesman.
The talks would involve Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and his South Korean counterpart Ban Ki-Moon, who in January becomes the next UN secretary general.