US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to visit Japan in mid-March for talks with Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.
Sources in the Japanese and US governments say arrangements for the visit are now underway.
Japan hopes to use the occasion to lay the groundwork for Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the United States, planned for around early May.
Kishida is expected to brief Kerry on his government's efforts to establish legislation for allowing Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense, according to Japan's (NHK WORLD) website.
He also hopes to confirm that the two countries will steadily carry out a review of the Japan-US defense cooperation guidelines.
The two are also expected to exchange opinions on speeding up negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement.