Japanese Media "April Korea-US-Japan Diplomatic Talks Outlook... Korea-Japan Meeting Uncertain"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Following the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration in the United States, a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan is expected to be held in the U.S. next month. However, Japanese media are speculating that the possibility of a bilateral meeting between South Korea and Japan remains uncertain.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 31st, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu is reportedly coordinating to visit the U.S. as early as the end of next month to hold a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting among the three countries.

If the trilateral meeting proceeds as planned, it will be the first South Korea-U.S.-Japan foreign ministers' meeting in about 14 months since February last year.

The Yomiuri Shimbun, citing multiple Japanese government officials, reported that cooperation measures regarding North Korea's nuclear and missile issues will be on the agenda.

Foreign Minister Motegi is coordinating to hold a separate meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of this meeting, but Yomiuri added that it remains unclear whether a bilateral meeting between South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Foreign Minister Motegi will take place.

Amid deteriorated South Korea-Japan relations due to issues such as forced labor during the Japanese colonial period and court rulings on compensation for victims of the Japanese military's sexual slavery, Foreign Minister Chung and Foreign Minister Motegi have yet to hold even a phone conversation.

A trilateral security chiefs meeting among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan is expected to be held ahead of the foreign ministers' meeting.

Kyodo News reported that a meeting attended by Suh Hoon, South Korea's National Security Office chief, Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, and Kitamura Shigeru, Japan's National Security Secretariat chief, is being finalized for June 2 in Washington, D.C.

The meeting is expected to discuss North Korea policy, and the schedule is being coordinated to include bilateral consultations between the U.S. and Japan, as well as between South Korea and Japan, based on the trilateral discussions, the news agency added.

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