Japan briefed the United States on Thursday about the surprise visit to North Korea by an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
After meeting with his Japanese counterpart in Tokyo, Glyn Davies, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, said he hopes to gain more "insights" into Isao Iijima's unannounced trip in the coming days.
Iijima met Thursday with North Korea's No. 2 leader, Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.