Jun 03 (NHK) - The defense ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea have held talks in Singapore. They are believed to have reaffirmed their countries' close cooperation on the denuclearization of North Korea.
Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya met US Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and South Korea's Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo for about one and a half hours on the sidelines of an Asian security meeting on Sunday.
At the onset of the three-way talks, Iwaya told his counterparts that North Korea has yet to take concrete steps to give up its nuclear and missile programs.
He said that Japan considers the North's firing of short-range ballistic missiles last month a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Details of the talks are unknown. But the defense authorities of the three countries are thought to have confirmed that they will work closely together and support diplomatic efforts to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The defense ministers of Japan and South Korea had unofficial talks the day before, amid strained relations between the two countries' defense authorities.
Attention is also focused on whether Sunday's meeting will lead to improved ties between the two sides.
Source: ANNnewsCH
