South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon announced Wednesday that he would visit Japan next week for talks on North Korea's nuclear standoff and missile launches.
Ban said that he would meet with his counterpart Taro Aso and other officials on Monday.
Talks would focus on "North Korea's missile launches and ways to resume the six-party nuclear talks at an early date," he told a news briefing here.
Ties between Japan and South Korea have been strained recently over ways to handle North Korea and a territorial dispute concerning a group of small islets in waters between the two countries.
South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun chided Japan last month for taking a hard line following North Korea's launch of seven missiles.
Ban and Aso met last week at an Asian security forum at which South Korea again complained about Tokyo's demand that the United Nations impose sanctions on North Korea over the missile tests.
Seoul said Tokyo had failed to consult it on a UN move.
Japan initially pushed to invoke the UN Charter's Chapter VII — which can authorize tough wide-ranging sanctions or even military action — in its draft UN resolution, but stopped short after China protested.
The UN Security Council later adopted a modified, toned-down resolution condemning North Korea and imposing weapons-related sanctions.
Seoul has adopted a soft line towards North Korea since a 2000 inter-Korean peace summit but suspended food and fertilizer aid to North Korea following the missile tests.
The Communist state has boycotted six-party talks since November last year and says it will only return when Washington lifts financial sanctions against it.
Washington has accused North Korea of financial crimes including money laundering, and suspended dealing with a Macau bank, leading to the freezing of North Korean accounts there.
Ban also said he would represent South Korea at the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, who died last month.
