Japanese and U.S. vice foreign ministers agreed Tuesday to seek a diplomatic solution to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, despite increasing fears about a military conflict with Pyongyang.
Amid growing tensions over a possible fresh provocation by North Korea, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan reiterated the importance of trilateral cooperation with South Korea to bolster pressure on Pyongyang.
Sugiyama and Sullivan met in Tokyo a day after South Korea and the United States began a five-day joint naval drill in waters south of the de facto sea border with North Korea, raising speculation that Pyongyang may test-fire another ballistic missile in retaliation.