A Japanese foreign ministry official says the chief delegates to the six-party nuclear talks from the U.S. and Japan have agreed to continue to pressure North Korea to denuclearize.

The two nations also agreed that given North Korea's recent moves, including refusing to recognize already-established inter-Korean agreements and a mobilization of forces on the border with South Korea, immediate progress in U.S.-North relations would be difficult.

The official also said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso in Tokyo Tuesday, is fully aware of the issue of Japanese abductees taken by North Korea, which she called “a human tragedy.”

Meanwhile, U.S. media are confirming reports that U.S. nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill will be appointed as the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq.