Japanese Foreign Ministry: "CPTPP Not Discussed at Korea-Japan Summit"

"Energy and Security Were Key Topics at the Summit"

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on May 19 that South Korea’s potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) was not discussed at the Korea-Japan summit.

Toshihiro Kitamura, spokesperson for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said during an online briefing following the summit that, regarding discussions on South Korea joining the CPTPP, "to my knowledge, it was not discussed at the summit."

Yonhap News Agency

Kitamura continued, "One of the key topics at today’s summit was bilateral cooperation to strengthen energy and security."

He explained, "This includes crude oil and petroleum product swaps or exchange transactions. Details will be discussed through industrial and trade policy dialogues."

Regarding "Power Asia," an Asian energy cooperation initiative being promoted by the Japanese government, he stated, "The Japanese government has decided to provide support worth 10 billion dollars to help Asian countries procure crude oil not only from the Middle East, but also from other regions around the world."

He further added, "On a more structural and mid-to-long-term level, Japan will support the enhancement of stockpiling capabilities in Asian countries and provide technical support for diversifying energy sources." He noted that liquefied natural gas (LNG), bioenergy, and small modular reactors (SMR) are included in the new energy initiative.

He went on to say, "The Korean government has also agreed to cooperate with Japan to support Asian countries in addressing the challenges they have faced following the situation in the Middle East."

When asked whether Japan brought up the conclusion of a bilateral Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) at the summit, Kitamura responded, "The leaders of both countries shared the view on the importance of Korea-Japan and Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation, and agreed that both countries should take a leading role in addressing challenges in the Indo-Pacific region based on this cooperation."

He added, "While I cannot comment on specific details, both leaders fully acknowledged the necessity and importance of continued cooperation in the field of security."

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