US, Japan and South Korea eye foreign ministers’ meeting in May — media

From left, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong. Photos from Reuters

TOKYO — The United States, Japan and South Korea are arranging a meeting of their foreign ministers during the G7 meeting in the United Kingdom next week, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Thursday, citing multiple government sources.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong are expected to affirm their cooperation on dealing with North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, according to the newspaper article.

North Korea test launched two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan in March, underscoring steady progress in its weapons program.

This month, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to insist that Pyongyang abide by United Nations resolutions on its nuclear arsenal and missiles.

The United States is taking the lead in arranging the trilateral talks on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, to be held May 3-5, the Yomiuri reported its source as saying.

Mogi and Blinken are also expected to hold a meeting, but it is unclear whether bilateral talks between the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers will take place, the newspaper said.