Japan and the United States are trying to arrange the first summit meeting between Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and U.S. President George W. Bush on March 19, government sources said Sunday.

According to the sources, Mori initially wanted the meeting -- his first with Bush since the latter took office in January -- to be held before the Liberal Democratic Party convention on March 13.

But the U.S. side responded negatively, saying that such a time frame would be difficult, given that a meeting between Bush and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung is slated for March 7, according to the sources.