Press Releases
Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Vice Foreign Ministerial Meeting
July 18, 2025
On July 18, commencing at 1:05 p.m. for approximately 35 minutes, in Tokyo, His Excellency FUNAKOSHI Takehiro, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Vice Foreign Ministerial Meeting with the Honorable Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of State of the United States of America, and His Excellency Park Yoonjoo, 1st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, followed by a working lunch for approximately 60 minutes from 1:45 p.m. The overview of the events is as follows.
- They reaffirmed that, in light of the increasingly severe strategic environment that the three countries face, the robust Japan-U.S. and U.S.-ROK alliances as well as the strategic coordination of these alliances are the foundation for effective trilateral cooperation. They also welcomed the advancement of concrete trilateral cooperation by the three countries.
- They discussed recent developments on North Korea and, in particular, expressed their serious concerns over North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, and reaffirmed their commitment toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions. They also reaffirmed that they would work closely together in addressing issues such as the advancement of Russia-North Korea military cooperation and North Korea’s malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency thefts, which fund its nuclear and missile programs. Furthermore, Vice Minister Funakoshi expressed his appreciation for the consistent support from the governments of the U.S. and the ROK regarding the abductions issue, as shown by the Deputy Secretary Landau and Vice Minister Park.
- They discussed regional situations including in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and shared their recognition that any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion is unacceptable. Also, they reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Furthermore, they concurred to work closely together for the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
- They also exchanged their views on economic security such as enhancing supply chain resilience including on critical minerals and protecting and promoting critical and emerging technologies, and reaffirmed that they would work closely together in these fields.
- They aligned their recognition on the direction of the trilateral cooperation through these strategic discussions, and concurred to pursue the stability and prosperity of the region by advancing tangible cooperation in areas such as security and economic security, including through utilizing the Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Coordinating Secretariat.