U.S. officials have said they do not intend to mediate the ongoing dispute between South Korea and Japan.

Four senior U.S. administration officials spoke with reporters under the condition of anonymity, after the foreign ministers of Seoul, Washington and Toyko held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of a regional forum in Bangkok on Friday.

According to a transcript released by the U.S. State Department, the officials said the fact that the three parties held the trilateral meeting means "there is interest in finding a solution or at least resolution."

But they said the U.S.’ stance on not playing a mediating role remains unchanged.

The officials said no positive results will come out from the U.S. intervening and that it's not the first time South Korea and Japan have been at odds but the timing of the latest dispute is not good. 

One official said the U.S. government's role is to employ reason and a long-term perspective to prevent the situation from going out of control.

They also stressed the dispute won't do harm on their cooperation regarding North Korea.