Amb. Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, will visit Japan later this week for discussions on bilateral issues, the State Department announced Monday.
  

Kim, who doubles as deputy assistant secretary for Korea and Japan, will be in Tokyo from Wednesday to Friday to "participate in alliance meetings and other bilateral discussions," the department said in a release without providing further specifics.
  

The trip "underscores the U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Japan relationship and alliance," it said.
  

Kim is scheduled to return home on Saturday, it said.
  

A diplomatic source said that Kim's visit is for regular bilateral consultations with Japan that bring foreign affairs and defense officials of the two countries together.
  

The visit come as Kim's South Korean counterpart, Hwang Joon-kook, has been on a trip to China for talks with his counterpart and others expected to focus on ways to break the long-running deadlock in negotiations over the North Korean nuclear issue.
  

The downbeat state of the North Korean impasse drew attention last week as it contrasted sharply with a historic deal Iran reached with the U.S. and other world powers, under which it agreed to put significant curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
  

U.S. officials urged Pyongyang to learn from Tehran and negotiate away its nuclear programs, but widespread views are that long-stalled negotiations are unlikely to resume anytime soon as neither Washington nor Pyongyang are willing to make any concessions. (Yonhap)