TOKYO (AP) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said yesterday he hopes to discuss further strengthening of three-way strategic cooperation with leaders of the United States (US) and South Korea at a summit hosted by US President Joe Biden at Camp David later this month.
The August 18 summit with Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is the first stand-alone summit among leaders of the three countries, not in connection with international meetings.
The summit is also the latest sign of warming ties between Tokyo and Seoul.
Both governments have moved to set aside decades-long tensions over wartime history, while Washington seeks to deepen its commitment in the Indo-Pacific region.
“I have high hopes that this summit meeting will further strengthen the foundation for strengthening ties with the US and South Korea, which have been built up through multi-layered efforts including at the summit level,” Kishida said, responding to a question about the summit, during a news conference yesterday.
“On top of that, I expect we will further reinforce our strategic cooperation among the three countries, Japan, the US and South Korea” as the three leaders discuss joint responses to North Korea’s threats and maintaining and strengthening a rules-based, free and open international order, Kishida said.
He declined to provide more details, saying he should avoid prejudging the outcome of the summit ahead of time.
Japan, the US and South Korea have agreed to start sharing real-time data on North Korean missile launches by the end of the year.
