Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin, who will visit Japan and South Korea for the first time after the inauguration of the Biden administration in the United States, will coordinate policies regarding the response to North Korea and improve relations between Japan and South Korea, which are deteriorating. I want to encourage you.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin will visit Japan and South Korea from the 15th as their first foreign visits after the inauguration of the Biden administration, and both Japan and South Korea will hold ministerial discussions on foreign affairs and defense, respectively.
A senior State Department official held a telephone conference on the 12th and expressed his intention to coordinate policies regarding the response to Japan, South Korea and North Korea through this visit.
In addition, the Biden administration is currently reviewing North Korea's policy, and it is expected that it will be completed within a few weeks, and it is expected that the final summary will be made based on the contents of this visit.
Furthermore, he said, "I hope that increasing opportunities for cooperation between the three countries of Japan, the United States, and South Korea will lead to improvement of Japan-South Korea relations." I also showed what I wanted to do.
In addition, following the agreement on the cost of stationing the U.S. Forces in Japan for one year last month, it is clear that negotiations have begun with the Japanese government to agree on a multi-year agreement on the amount to be borne from the next fiscal year onward. I made it.
In the series of discussions held in Tokyo, it is expected that such bilateral cooperation will be discussed.