Abe, Obama, Park Agree to Enhance 3-Way Security Cooperation

Washington, March 31 (Jiji Press)--Leaders of Japan, the United States and South Korea on Thursday reaffirmed the three countries' unity and agreed to enhance their security and defense cooperation in the wake of a series of provocations by North Korea. At the one-hour trilateral summit in Washington, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye confirmed that they will direct foreign affairs and defense officials of the three nations to study concrete measures to step up such cooperation following Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January and the launch of what is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile by the reclusive communist country in February. After the meeting, Abe told reporters that the advancement in North Korea's nuclear and missile technologies poses "a direct threat" to the international community. "It was very meaningful that Japan, the United States and South Korea confirmed their intentions to beef up cooperation in various fields," he added. At the meeting, Obama said, "We agreed...that trilateral security cooperation is essential to maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia and deterring the North Korean nuclear threat and the potential of nuclear proliferation as a consequence of North Korean activities," according to the White House. Obama also showed his hopes to see "a denuclearized Korean Peninsula," help "restore a sense of stability and peace to the region," and promote "the kind of opportunities and prosperity for the North Korean people who have been suffering so severely because of human rights abuses" in the country. Park stressed that she hopes for stepped-up cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the United States. Abe told Obama and Park that there is no change in Tokyo's stance of aiming to resolve the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals decades ago at the earliest possible time. The U.S. and South Korean leaders showed their understanding for the Japanese position. Abe, Obama and Park also exchanged opinions on China's growing maritime assertiveness. They shared concerns over Chinese coast guard ships' repeated intrusions into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are claimed by China, and Beijing's ongoing moves to build military hubs in the South China Sea. Showing concerns over growing influence of the Islamic State militant group, Abe stressed that close cooperation with the United States and South Korea is important in preventing violent extremism from spreading to Asia. Japan is ready to offer as much support as possible in noncombat areas, he said. The Abe-Obama-Park meeting took place on the margins of the two-day Nuclear Security Summit in Washington through Friday. This is the first summit among the three countries since Abe, Obama and Park met in The Hague, the Netherlands, in March 2014 on the sidelines of a similar nuclear security summit. END