TOKYO: The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea released a joint statement Thursday strongly condemning North Korea’s recent provocations, including Monday’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Japanese Foreign Minister KAMIKAWA Yoko, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said in the statement that North Korea’s continued provocations “pose a grave threat to the Korean Peninsula, the region and international peace and security.”

In the statement, the United States reiterated that its commitments to defend Japan and South Korea are “ironclad and backed by the full range of capabilities, including nuclear.”

The three ministers also welcomed the start of a system to share North Korean missile warning data in real time.

JIJI Press