Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering visiting South Korea in early May to meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol so the countries can further improve ties to address North Korea's ballistic missile program, sources involved in bilateral relations have said.

If realized, Kishida's trip to South Korea would be the first by a Japanese leader in five years. Both governments are working on a plan for Kishida to visit on May 7 and 8, the sources said Friday, an apparent bid to promote better relations ahead of the May 19-21 Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima.

Kishida and Yoon agreed to improve Tokyo-Seoul relations, which soured in recent years to the worst level in decades, and visit each other's countries more often during their talks in March in Tokyo.