Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, agreed Thursday in Paris to strengthen cooperation in response to the global coronavirus pandemic and over maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The ministers also confirmed close cooperation in monitoring activities at sea to prevent North Korean vessels from engaging in illicit ship-to-ship cargo transfers, which are seen as a method of evading U.N. sanctions on the country over its missile and nuclear programs, the ministry said.
Tokyo has been looking to coordinate with European partners over steps against China's rising assertiveness in the South and East China seas. The ministers agreed that their countries' positions over matters in the region are the same, according to the ministry.