The foreign ministers of Japan, China, and South Korea agreed today, Saturday, to enhance future cooperation among their countries, emphasizing the importance of joint efforts to address "common challenges."

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement that this came during a meeting between Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul in Tokyo, where they agreed to expedite preparations for the upcoming trilateral summit between their countries "as soon as possible."

The statement clarified that this comes amid a focus on three areas: "getting to know each other better," "cooperation to shape and protect livelihoods," and "joint efforts across generations to address common challenges."

The statement noted that Kamikawa expressed concern over North Korea's nuclear and missile activities, its "cryptocurrency theft" activities, and the recent enhancement of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

In this context, the statement mentioned that the denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions is a "common goal for the three countries," emphasizing her desire for close communication with China and South Korea, including the "full implementation" of the Council's resolutions.

Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, Kamikawa stressed the importance of remaining "united" in affirming that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force "should not be tolerated anywhere in the world."

During a joint press conference following the talks with her Chinese and South Korean counterparts, the Japanese Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of enhancing future exchanges and cooperation among the three countries to lead the region and the international community from division to cooperation.

She added that the three ministers exchanged views frankly on cooperation among their countries and on international and regional affairs.

For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the press conference that amid the turbulent international situation and the slow recovery of the global economy, "China, Japan, and South Korea have a responsibility to enhance communication and provide a stabilizing element for regional peace and development."

Wang Yi affirmed that the three countries will continue to communicate on resuming negotiations for a free trade agreement among them, promoting the expansion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and maintaining the stability of regional production and supply chains.

Meanwhile, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul emphasized the importance of the meeting with his Japanese and Chinese counterparts, stating that "holding the trilateral talks today in a timely and purposeful manner comes in the context of maintaining the momentum of trilateral cooperation, which was revitalized by last year's summit in Seoul after a hiatus of four and a half years."

Cho Tae-yul stressed the importance of the three countries' commitment to "strictly implementing UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea and making efforts to halt North Korea's provocations and achieve complete denuclearization."

It is worth noting that this is the first trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Japan, China, and South Korea since November 2023, when the ministers met in the South Korean city of Busan.

A summit was held between the three countries in Seoul in May of last year, where their leaders agreed to cooperate in six areas: "people-to-people exchanges," "addressing climate change," as well as economic and trade cooperation, in addition to cooperation on "aging societies" and "digital transformation."