Japan, Mongolia Leaders Reject Use of Force to Change Status Quo

   Tokyo, Nov. 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh affirmed on Tuesday that their countries will never tolerate the use of force to change the status quo, with China and Russia, which border Mongolia, in mind.    This was included in a joint statement issued after the two leaders held talks at the prime minister's office in Tokyo.    At a joint press conference following the meeting, Kishida said Japan will work to strengthen its cooperation with Mongolia to resolve global challenges.    The president voiced hope to expand and deepen bilateral cooperation to contribute to regional peace and prosperity.    In the statement, the two leaders vowed to strengthen cooperation between Japan and Mongolia in the security field, while promoting Japanese investments in Mongolia and working on exploring rare earths in Mongolia.    On the international situation, they underlined the need to maintain and strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, while warning that nuclear war would cause catastrophic consequences.    They also expressed concerns over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. END