23 December
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is making arrangements to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, amid rising tensions between the United States and North Korea.
Diplomatic sources in Washington say plans are being made for the meeting, possibly by mid-January in a US city on the West Coast.
Pompeo and Motegi are expected to discuss the North Korean situation and how to cooperate in promoting the denuclearization of the country.
Pyongyang is urging the US government to make concessions by the end of the year in the deadlocked denuclearization talks.
The North has unilaterally set the time limit.
Pyongyang has hinted at new provocations that are believed to involve long-range ballistic missiles.
The sources say South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is adjusting her schedule to visit the US in mid-January.
If Motegi and Kang visit the US at the same time, a foreign ministerial meeting of the US, Japan, and South Korea may be held for the first time in five months.
NHK
