Japan, U.S. Confirm Close Cooperation after N. Korea Missile

Tokyo, Aug. 4 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy on Thursday confirmed their countries' close cooperation in countering the threat from North Korea. In their meeting at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Kishida told Kennedy that Pyongyang's firing of a ballistic missile into Japan's exclusive economic zone on Wednesday posed a serious threat to the region. On Thursday, Kenji Kanasugi, director-general of the Japanese ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, held teleconferences with Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, and Kim Hong-kyun, South Korean special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. The three diplomats condemned North Korea's repeated acts of provocations such as ballistic missile launches as unacceptable. They agreed to press Pyongyang to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions. END