Japan, South Korea and the United States in a joint statement Friday praised North Korea for opening bilateral dialogue with all three nations following the Stalinist state's agreement to hold the first-ever inter-Korean summit in June.

"The recent developments . . . represented an unprecedented opportunity to enhance peace and stability in Northeast Asia," said a statement released by the Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group following a one-day meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.

The group members reiterated their "continuing commitment to consult closely and to coordinate their respective policies" toward the North.

The group comprises Yukio Takeuchi, Japanese deputy vice foreign minister; Jang Jai Ryong, South Korean deputy foreign affairs and trade minister; and Wendy Sherman, counselor at the U.S. State Department.

Takeuchi and Sherman "conveyed their unqualified support" for the agreement announced April 10 to hold the "historic" July 12-14 inter-Korean summit, according to the statement.

The three members "expressed their confidence that the summit will advance inter-Korea reconciliation and cooperation, peace on the Korean Peninsula, and the shared interests of all countries."

They "also voiced hope that this landmark summit will mark the process of regular dialogue" between the North and South Korean governments. The group welcomed the first round of negotiations -- held in Pyongyang in April -- between Japan and North Korea on establishing diplomatic ties. The agreement to hold the next round in Tokyo later this month was also praised. The Pyongyang negotiations marked a resumption of normalization talks that collapsed in 1992.

"They looked forward to the prospect that these talks will contribute to an improvement in relations between the two countries," the statement said.

Japanese officials said Takeuchi reiterated Japan's desire to resolve the alleged abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s by North Korean agents before normalizing ties with Pyongyang.

Takeuchi also insisted that Japan intends to continue seeking North Korean restraint on nuclear and missile development, the officials said.

The statement said the trilateral group also exchanged views on talks between North Korea and the U.S. starting May 24 in Rome to discuss the two nations' 1994 nuclear agreement.

The three members "expressed hope that these would initiate a process in which North Korea would address shared concerns" related to the 1994 agreement.

The accord commits North Korea to freezing and dismantling its weapons-grade nuclear power facilities in exchange for two light-water nuclear reactors and a stopgap supply of fuel oil until one of the reactors starts working.

The three nations reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the 1994 accord, which they described as "essential to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula."

The two reactors are to be supplied by the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, a multilateral consortium established by the three nations.