Japan, the United States, and South Korea have agreed to continue cooperation in addressing global security challenges and threats imposed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Thursday.
During the trilateral security talks over the phone, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and his U.S. and South Korean counterparts Lloyd Austin and Suh Wook emphasized that recent ballistic missile launches by Pyongyang are destabilizing to regional security and a clear violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.
It was the first meeting among defense chiefs of the three countries since November 2019 and came after North Korea's recent barrage of missile tests that included what appears to have been the longest-range ballistic missile it has launched since 2017.
Pyongyang, meanwhile, has hinted at resuming nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
Following the 30-minute telephone talks, Austin took to Twitter to assure allies that the U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan and South Korea is "ironclad."
Suh was quoted by the South Korean Defense Ministry as condemning the missile launches as "a serious threat and a challenge to U.N. Security Council resolutions."
Kishi said at a press conference that it was "significant" to hold trilateral talks soon after North Korea's launch seven times in the last month.
He stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea and its abandonment of ballistic missiles.
Kishi said following his request, the defense chiefs of the three countries also agreed to conduct in-person trilateral defense ministerial talks at a future date and continue efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,
The three had initially arranged an in-person meeting in mid-January in Hawaii, but this did not materialize after Austin tested positive for COVID-19 early that same month.
Related coverage:
Moon expects next South Korean gov't to improve ties with Japan
Japan, U.S. foreign chiefs confirm cooperation on North Korean threat
North Korea confirms testing of long-range ballistic missile Jan. 30
