Japan, US, S.Korea FMs vow to expand cooperation - NHKニュース

The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea have confirmed that solidarity among the three countries is pivotal to regional peace and stability. They vowed to expand trilateral cooperation.

Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held talks in the US city of Atlanta on Friday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

The three ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions. They also concurred that they will collaborate continuously in addressing what they called North Korea's malicious cyber-related activities. They said that those fund its nuclear and missile programs.

They also exchanged views on regional affairs, including unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion, apparently with China in mind. The ministers affirmed that their countries will work closely together.

They welcomed steady progress in cooperation on security and economic security and affirmed that they will expand the scope of their trilateral cooperation.

The ministers signed the Memorandum of Cooperation regarding the Trilateral Arctic Pacific Partnership, which includes the establishment of a working group to deepen cooperation in the Arctic and the Pacific.