Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who chaired the six-nation talks on resolving North Korea's nuclear threat, will become China's ambassador to Japan, Chinese sources said Thursday.
Wang is expected to take up the post "in the near future," the sources said, suggesting his appointment may come in either August or September. He will replace Wu Dawei.
An expert on Japan, Wang is currently in charge of Asia and diplomatic policy research.
The promotion of Wang, 50, is believed to indicate China's willingness to boost its ties with Japan, which have remained testy mainly due to China's protest over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine.
The shrine honors the nation's war dead, as well as Class-A Japanese war criminals.
Wang underwent surgery for a benign tumor in May, but went on to serve as chairman of the North Korea talks in June.
The sources said no health problems remain.