Japan, US express 'serious concern' over North Korea missile tests

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – The top diplomats of Japan and the US on Wednesday expressed “serious concern” over missile tests carried out by North Korea.

The allies agreed that “such activities pose a threat to the peace and stability of Japan, the region and the international community,” Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement after an approximately 35-minute phone call between Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The two “concurred to continue close coordination between Japan and the US as well as among Japan, the US, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions,” the statement said.

North Korea has so far carried out seven confirmed missile tests this year, including that of a newly developed hypersonic missile.

Pyongyang has warned it will continue to develop powerful warheads for different combat missions as it ramps up tests to strengthen defenses against what it claims is a “hostile” US.

“In light of the increasingly severe regional security environment,” the statement said, the top diplomats agreed it was “essential to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-US Alliance and to continue close coordination between Japan and the US.”

North Korea has also hinted at restarting “all temporally-suspended” defense activities, referring to a self-imposed moratorium since 2017 on testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

Blinken in a brief tweet said he “shared concerns” about North Korea’s missile tests “violating UN Security Council resolutions.”

“We are committed to working trilaterally with the ROK (South Korea) towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” he added.

Referring to military tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Yoshimasa and Blinken also reiterated their support for the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Kyiv.

Japan and the US are “continuing to monitor with grave concern Russia’s military buildup in the areas near the border with Ukraine … and concurred to continue close coordination between them,” the statement said.