Senior foreign affairs officials from Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Wednesday to strengthen their nations’ security and other cooperation over North Korea.

The officials issued a joint statement after their meeting in Seoul, strongly condemning the recent series of North Korean ballistic missile launches.

The three countries held face-to-face vice-ministerial-level talks for the first time since November last year, before South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office last month.

The November meeting was held after South Korea’s police chief landed on Sea of Japan islands effectively controlled by Seoul and claimed by Tokyo, and the three governments were unable to hold a joint press conference at the time.

The day’s meeting was attended by Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun.

In the meeting, Mori asked the U.S. and South Korean officials to cooperate to resolve the issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals decades ago and gained their support.

North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Sunday and is reportedly preparing to conduct a nuclear test.

JIJI Press