Japan-North Korea Relations
Japan-U.S.-ROK Foreign Ministers' Meeting
February 18, 2023
On February 18, commencing at 5:15 p.m. (local time, on February 19, 1:15 a.m. Japan time) for a short time, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, visiting Germany (Munich) for the Munich Security Conference, held a Japan-U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with the Honorable Antony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States of America, and His Excellency Mr. Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- The three Ministers strongly condemned the ICBM-class ballistic missile launch by North Korea on February 18 which landed within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), approximately 200km off the coast of Japan, and they once again shared the view that ballistic missile launches by North Korea, which are unprecedented both in their frequency and their manner, constitute a grave and imminent threat to the regional security and pose a clear and serious challenge to the international community.
- The three Ministers also reaffirmed that they will continue to work closely together bilaterally and trilatelly among Japan, the U.S. and the ROK toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, including on enhancement of regional deterrence including trilateral security cooperation, responses at the UN Security Council, and international coordination including cooperation with like-minded countries.