The top diplomats of Japan, the United States and South Korea on Thursday said they oppose any attempts to change the status quo of territories by force amid China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, while showing their resolve to resolutely respond to any nuclear test by North Korea.
The meeting of Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin was held in New York on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly's annual session. It came amid concerns that North Korea may carry out its first nuclear test in years.
Condemning North Korea's numerous ballistic missile launches earlier this year, the three reaffirmed that if the country conducts what would be its seventh nuclear test, it would be met with "a strong and resolute response from the international community."