The United States is reportedly seeking a trilateral foreign ministers meeting with South Korea and Japan in mid-January to prepare for possible provocations by North Korea. 

Quoting multiple diplomatic sources, Japan's Kyodo News reported on Sunday that the U.S. is considering a meeting of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in San Francisco in the middle of next month. 

The most recent trilateral meeting was held on August second in Bangkok in Thailand when tensions were escalating between South Korea and Japan over Tokyo's export curbs against Seoul.

Kyodo said that the three nations may hold separate bilateral talks on the sidelines of the trilateral meeting.