The top diplomats of Japan, the United States and South Korea have agreed to promote multilayered cooperation in security and other areas amid Pyongyang's ongoing missile and nuclear developments and Beijing's increasing maritime activities.
Japan's Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met in San Francisco on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
At the outset of the meeting, Kamikawa touched upon various current situations, including those in the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine. She said there is a need for an increased level of strategic coordination between Tokyo, Washington and Seoul.
The ministers expressed serious concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs, as well as the country's military cooperation with Russia.
They agreed to promote efforts among their countries' defense authorities to activate a mechanism for sharing real-time data on North Korean missile launches by year-end in a bid to step up deterrence and response capabilities.
They also shared concerns over China's unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China and South China seas. They affirmed the importance of maintaining and strengthening the international order based on the rule of law.
The ministers also discussed the conflict between Israel and Hamas and agreed that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip must be improved.