Japan-U.S.-ROK Underline Importance of Upcoming Summit Meeting

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:16 JST, August 16, 2023

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin held an hourlong videoconference Tuesday evening, during which they agreed that a Japan-U.S.-South Korea summit meeting scheduled for Friday will be a “historic opportunity.”

The ministers also confirmed a collective desire to work closely on any adjustments necessary to make the meeting a success.

Hayashi, Blinken and Park were also in accord over the heightening importance of three-way cooperation to realize peace and stability in the international community and “a free and open Indo-Pacific,” amid the deteriorating security environment.

The leading politicians further agreed to coordinate on measures against North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and China’s increasingly hegemonic behavior, among other issues, ahead of the summit.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are set to meet Friday at Camp David — a presidential retreat near Washington.

Kishida will visit the United States from Aug. 17-19, accompanied by Hayashi.