Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to visit Japan, South Korea and China later this month mainly for talks on North Korean issues, diplomatic sources said Friday.

In what will be his first trip to the region since becoming President Donald Trump's top diplomat on Feb. 1, Tillerson is arranging to visit Japan on March 17 and 18 for talks with Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, the sources said.

The trip comes as the Trump administration is reportedly reviewing its policy options for North Korea, ranging from putting the country back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, to use of military force and regime change to curb the nuclear threat posed by Pyongyang.