Japan, U.S., South Korea agree on cooperation over North Korea

RIO DE JANEIRO (Kyodo) -- The top diplomats of Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Thursday to pursue closer cooperation in addressing North Korea's steady development of nuclear and missile capabilities, and its expanding military cooperation with Russia.    

"Cooperation and coordination with our closest allies is more important than ever," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as he met with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, Yoko Kamikawa and Cho Tae Yul, in Rio de Janeiro, citing regional challenges also including "increasingly assertive actions" by China.    

In addition to North Korea, Blinken, Kamikawa and Cho discussed efforts to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, according to the U.S. State Department's top spokesman, Matthew Miller.    

While confirming support for each country's Indo-Pacific strategies, Miller said the three also reiterated in their discussion of Gaza the urgent need to secure the release of all hostages and boost humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians amid the conflict.    

The three-way talks, Cho's first since assuming his post last month, took place on the sidelines of a foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of 20 major economies.    

Since U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a trilateral summit with the leaders of Japan and South Korea in August last year, the three countries have been stepping up coordination over a range of issues including North Korea, which has repeatedly fired ballistic missiles in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.    

"Looking at the global landscape, the free and open international order, based on the rule of law, is now being challenged," the department quoted