Tokyo: Senior Japanese, U.S. and South Korean diplomats held talks over the phone Monday, vowing to work more closely together in dealing with missile launches by North Korea.

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin denounced a series of ballistic missile launches by Pyongyang and shared the view again that the North Korean provocation is an obvious and serious challenge to the international community.

They affirmed a policy of promoting security cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea and strengthening their deterrence and response capabilities.

They also exchanged opinions about measures against misinformation related to the planned release into the sea of treated water from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan.

The three countries are arranging a meeting among their leaders for Aug. 18 in the United States. On the trilateral summit, Mori, Sherman and Chang agreed to promote cooperation among the three countries at various levels.

JIJI Press