MUNICH–Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed to stand closely in dealing with regional threats from China and North Korea and strengthen energy security by tapping supplies of U.S. liquefied natural gas.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Feb. 15 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference here.
“We reaffirmed our policy to be united to promote concrete cooperation for peace and prosperity in the region,” Iwaya told reporters after the meeting.
It was the first meeting at this level among the three countries since Donald Trump started a new term as U.S. president in January.
In a joint statement released after the meeting, the three officials said they are committed to “maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Without mentioning China, they “strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea.”
They also emphasized the importance of “maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” and expressed support for “Taiwan’s meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations.”
Regarding North Korea, the trio reaffirmed their “resolute commitment to (its) complete denuclearization.”
They also expressed “their serious concerns over and the need to address together” North Korea’s growing military cooperation with Russia.
The joint statement said the three countries sent a “strong warning” that they will not tolerate any provocations or threats to their soil.
The discussions on economic security reflected Trump policies that differ markedly from those of his predecessor, Joe Biden.
The joint statement said the three countries plan to “strengthen energy security by unleashing the United States’ affordable and reliable energy and natural resources, and by enhancing energy cooperation, particularly in liquefied natural gas, in a mutually beneficial manner.”
The three officials also mentioned collaboration in nuclear technologies, such as cutting-edge small modular reactors and other advanced reactors.
However, the joint statement did not include any reference to support for Ukraine, which was specified in the statements issued after the foreign ministers’ meetings under the Biden administration.
Trump, skeptical about supporting Kyiv, has called for an early end to the military conflict in Ukraine.
Iwaya said he asked Rubio in a separate meeting to exclude Japan from 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum products that Washington will impose from March 12 as well as reciprocal tariffs that Trump plans to introduce.
During talks with Rubio, Iwaya also took up automobile tariffs that Trump plans to levy in April.
(This article was written by Nen Satomi and Ryo Kiyomiya in Washington.)