Press Releases
Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Meeting on North Korea
On December 9, commencing at 2:00 p.m. for approximately 100 minutes, Japan-U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Trilateral Meeting on North Korea was held in Tokyo, where Mr. Namazu Hiroyuki, Assistant Minister and Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a discussion with Mr. Cho Koo-rae, Vice Minister for Strategy and Intelligence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and Mr. Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State of the United States of America. On this occasion, Director-General Namazu has bilateral meetings to exchange views with Vice Minister Cho and Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink respectively on December 9-10.
- They had an in-depth exchange of views, and aligned their positions, on the current situation surrounding North Korea including Russia-North Korea cooperation, for which the entry into force of their ‘Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ was announced. In the trilateral discussion, they reiterated their serious concerns over North Korea’s continued nuclear and ballistic missile programs and the advancement of Russia-North Korea military cooperation, including the deployment of North Korea’s troops to Russia and their engagement in combat.
- They also reaffirmed the importance of the close coordination among Japan, the U.S., and the ROK that remains ensured even in the face of various complicating situations. They also reconfirmed that they would continue working closely together on the full implementation of the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, international collaboration including engagements at related multilateral fora and cooperation with like-minded countries, and countering North Korea’s illicit cyber activities that could fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs.
- Moreover, Director-General Namazu asked Vice Minister Cho and Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink for continued understanding and cooperation regarding the immediate resolution of the abductions issue, and expressed appreciation for the consistent support from the governments of the U.S. and the ROK.