Japan and South Korea are planning to send senior officials to Guam later this week to discuss ways to de-escalate a dispute over trade and wartime history, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

The talks, expected to take place Friday and Saturday, are being arranged in an "unofficial" capacity without a formal announcement. The neutral setting was chosen to avoid drawing a heated public response from either side, the sources said.

Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba will represent Japan, while South Korea's delegation will be led by First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young.