U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will visit Japan on May 24 to meet with Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to accelerate trade talks ahead of a summit meeting scheduled a few days later, two sources with direct knowledge of the plan said on Monday.

After a late-April meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump had said it was possible for the two countries to reach a new bilateral trade deal by the time he visits Tokyo in late May.

On Friday Trump angered foreign automakers by declaring that some imported vehicles and parts posed a national security threat, while delaying a decision for as long as six months on whether to impose tariffs to allow more time for trade talks with the EU and Japan.