News in Pictures / Japan, U.S., S. Korea Declare ‘New Era’ in Partnership

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:30 JST, August 22, 2023

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a trilateral summit meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat on the outskirts of Washington on Friday, declaring “a new era of trilateral partnership.”

With North Korea and China in mind, the leaders also agreed to strengthen the Japan-U.S. and South Korea-U.S. strategic alliances.

It was the first time for the three leaders to gather for a stand-alone trilateral summit, rather than meeting on the sidelines of an international conference. It was also Biden’s first occasion to host foreign leaders at Camp David since he took office in 2021.

The meeting lasted about two hours, including a working lunch.

“This is the first summit I’ve hosted at Camp David as president,” Biden said at a joint press conference afterward. “I can think of no more fitting location to begin the next era — our next era of cooperation — a place that has long symbolized the power of new beginnings and new possibilities.”

Kishida said at the press conference, “Coordination between the Japan-U.S. and the U.S.-ROK alliances will be reinforced, and trilateral security cooperation will be brought to a new height.”

Yoon stressed that the ties among the three countries “are more important than ever” to respond to today’s unprecedented crises.

After the summit, the three countries released the Camp David Principles, a document that will guide medium- to long-term cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea, and the Spirit of Camp David, a joint statement that included specific details about their cooperation.