LIMA (Peru): The leaders of Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Friday to establish a joint secretariat to expand security cooperation among the three countries.

In their meeting in Lima, Peru, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol confirmed that the three countries will strengthen cooperation in addressing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

Ishiba said in the meeting that Japan wants to work closely with the United States and South Korea in various fields as strategic cooperation among them is extremely important. Biden expressed hopes for continued trilateral cooperation.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the three leaders said they steadfastly oppose coercive activities in the South China Sea, apparently referring to China.

The leaders also said that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is “an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Ishiba, Biden and Yoon underlined the importance of continuing the trilateral cooperation following the re-election of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who focuses on transactional bilateral partnerships.

“I will make efforts with President-elect Trump to strengthen the strategic partnership among Japan, the United States and South Korea,” Ishiba told reporters after the meeting.

The three leaders also discussed the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia to support Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine. They said deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is “particularly egregious.”

JIJI Press