Japan, U.S., S. Korea reaffirm cooperation on N. Korea

The United States and Japan have raised concern about China’s pressing its claims to contested areas in the South China Sea and Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which China also claims and calls Diaoyu

The United States, Japan and South Korea on July 21 reaffirmed their commitment to work together on North Korea’s denuclearisation and other regional threats but made no progress in bringing closer together the two U.S. allies. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who held talks in Tokyo with her counterparts, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and South Korea’s Choi Jong-kun, said their alliance remains a “lynchpin of peace, security and prosperity”. The officials reaffirmed the importance of respecting international law, including maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and in the Taiwan Strait. “When countries take actions that run counter to the United States’ interests or that threatens our partners and allies, we will not let those challenges go unanswered,” Ms. Sherman said.