The foreign ministers of the United States, Japan and South Korea will meet Wednesday in New York to highlight their commitment to promote regional peace in the wake of a series of North Korean missile tests, a senior U.S. State Department official said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui Yong last met in person in May on the sidelines of the Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting in London, when Seoul was invited as a guest.
The upcoming meeting is "well-timed" to concert views among the three countries, given North Korea's missile tests last week, the official told a teleconference, apparently referring to the two ballistic missiles that fell within Japan's exclusive economic zone on Sept. 15.
The official also welcomed that "the cadence of these trilateral meetings is increasing" and noted that it has proved to be "a very effective mechanism for sharing views concerning positions" not only in dealing with North Korea but also with regard to challenges in the Indo-Pacific region where China is becoming more assertive.
The U.S. administration of President Joe Biden has been emphasizing the importance of the three-way cooperation, at a time when the relationship between Japan and South Korea has remained soured over wartime history and other disputes.