Japan-Republic of Korea Relations
Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
July 13, 2023
On July 13, commencing at 10:00 a.m. (local time. 0:00 p.m. on July 13, Japan time) for approximately 45 minutes, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Dr. Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (ROK) during his visit to Indonesia for the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers' Meetings. The summary of the bilateral meeting is as follows.
- Building on the bilateral Summit meeting on July 12, the two Ministers shared the view to advance even closer communication between themselves and their Ministries. The Ministers welcomed a broad range of dialogue that have taken place between the two governments, including the Defense Ministers’ meeting, the second meeting of economic security dialogue, and the Finance Ministerial Dialogue, as well as between the private sectors such as Japan-ROK Industrial Cooperation Forum. In this connection, the Ministers decided to coordinate, in a concrete manner, towards the holding of the Japan-ROK high-level economic consultations within this year. Regarding the Japan-ROK-China trilateral process, Minister Hayashi also conveyed his support for the efforts of the ROK as the Presidency of the Japan-ROK-China trilateral process.
- Regarding the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) Treated Water, Minister Hayashi mentioned the Comprehensive Report issued by IAEA, and stated that Japan will continue to share information to the ROK promptly and with a high degree of transparency. Quoting statements made in the bilateral Summit meeting on the previous day, Minister Hayashi also reiterated that Japan will, after the discharge has commenced, publish monitoring information in a transparent and prompt manner while undergoing the review by the IAEA, and should a problem be detected during this monitoring process such as unusual value of concentration of the radioactive materials, Japan will take appropriate measures as planned, including immediate suspension of the discharge.
- The Ministers exchanged views on the current regional situation in the Indo-Pacific under the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II, and discussed ways to enhance coordination to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. With regard to North Korea, the Ministers strongly condemned its nuclear and missile activities, including the ICBM-class ballistic missile launch on July 12, as a threat to international peace and security. They welcomed the Japan-ROK and Japan-ROK-U.S. coordination in this regard and concurred to continue working closely with each other. Minister Hayashi also expressed his appreciation for Minister Park’s consistent support on the abductions issue.