US and Japan Emphasize Importance of UN Security Council Sanctions Resolution Implementation to Dismantle North Korea's Ballistic Missiles

Meeting in Guam on the 29th
Also Reached Consensus on Containing China

▲Mark Esper (left), U.S. Secretary of Defense, and Taro Kono, Japanese Minister of Defense (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The U.S. and Japanese defense ministers held talks on the 29th in Guam, a U.S. territory, to address East Asian security issues including North Korea's missiles, Kyodo News reported. This meeting marks the first in about seven months since January this year.

According to the report, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono met in Guam on the 29th (local time) and agreed on the importance of fully implementing United Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions to achieve the complete elimination of all North Korean weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.

Additionally, following Japan's recent withdrawal of the 'Aegis Ashore' ballistic missile defense system plan, both countries agreed to cooperate in building a new missile defense system.

They also exchanged views on the situation in the South China Sea and East China Sea.

Secretary Esper stated, "China continues to engage in malicious actions toward neighboring countries," and expressed opposition to China's destabilizing activities in the region.

Defense Minister Kono said that the world has dramatically changed in recent years due to attempts to alter the status quo by force, and emphasized that the U.S. and Japan, as "like-minded countries," must deepen their cooperation.

Kyodo News reported that both sides opposed unilateral attempts to change the status quo backed by force and agreed on the importance of the rule of law and freedom of navigation.

Secretary Esper and Defense Minister Kono also reaffirmed that the Senkaku Islands (Chinese name Diaoyu Islands) are subject to Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, which defines the U.S. defense obligations to Japan.

Amid repeated approaches by Chinese government vessels to the Senkaku Islands, a disputed territory between China and Japan, the two countries highlighted their cooperative stance.

Secretary Esper and Defense Minister Kono confirmed their intention to strengthen cooperation in new domains such as space and cyber fields.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.