Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper says U.S. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, John Bolton, will visit South Korea, Japan and China next week.

Quoting an official in the U.S. State Department, the daily said Sunday that Bolton would visit the three Asian countries beginning Sunday to seek ways to deal with North Korea's nuclear issue.

The official was quoted as saying it is highly likely that Pyongyang delay responding to a U.S. proposal made during recent six-way nuclear talks until after the U.S. presidential elections in November.

At last month's six-party talks in Beijing, Washington proposed that the North disclose all of its nuclear activities, eventually dismantle its atomic facilities and allow outside monitoring in exchange for energy aid from the U.S.

The Japanese reports quoted the official as saying that in the event Pyongyang turns down the U.S. proposal, Washington would consider pushing for the adoption of a U.N. Security Council resolution denouncing the North's nuclear ambitions and the imposing of sanctions on the communist state.