Karuizawa: Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed on Monday to promote efforts to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance.

They agreed to build on the results of the “two-plus-two” meeting of the two countries’ foreign and defense ministers in January.

Hayashi and Blinken had bilateral talks on the sidelines of a three-day meeting through Tuesday of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major democracies in the resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan.

The two criticized North Korea for its repeated ballistic missile launches and expressed their commitment to working together as well as with South Korea. They also discussed ways to deal with China.

They also exchanged views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the importance of relations with and support for emerging and developing economies in the so-called Global South.

Agreeing that the world is facing a crucial test in upholding the international order based on the rule of law, Hayashi and Blinken confirmed the importance of Japan-U.S. cooperation at a G-7 summit to be held in the western Japan city of Hiroshima in May.

On the economic front, the two agreed to cooperate to advance negotiations on the envisioned Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, or IPEF, an economic bloc of 14 countries, including Japan and the United States.

Hayashi told Blinken that Japan wants the United States to return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, from which Washington withdrew under the administration of former President Donald Trump.

JIJI Press