The Japanese and U.S. foreign ministers agreed Wednesday to closely cooperate toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, amid repeated North Korean ballistic missile launches since earlier this year, the Japanese government said.
In their telephone talks, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also shared their "grave concern" over Russia's military buildup along its border with Ukraine that has sparked concern about a possible invasion, according to the Foreign Ministry.
North Korea's missile launches "threaten the peace and stability of Japan and the international community," Hayashi told reporters after the phone talks.