A Japanese daily says South Korea and Japan are in the final steps of arranging President Lee Myung-bak's visit to Japan in early December.

The Asahi Shimbun reported Japan originally invited Lee for a state visit but discussions on the arrangement of the trip encountered difficulties over the territorial dispute concerning Korea's Dokdo Islets and the issue of compensation for Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Army during World War Two.

The report said the two sides then shifted to scheduling a brief working visit by the Korean president. The paper said that President Lee and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will hold talks and strengthen the practice of, what they call, "shuttle diplomacy" between the two neighbors.