[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appealed for international cooperation to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs, Kyodo News reported on the 12th.
Prime Minister Kishida made these remarks at the ASEAN+3 (South Korea, China, Japan) summit held at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that participating leaders also expressed concerns over North Korea's ballistic missile launches in response to Kishida's call for cooperation.
Additionally, Kishida condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, stating, "Attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in any region, including Asia, cannot be accepted," and called for the maintenance of an international order based on the rule of law and freedom.
Kishida also expressed support for ASEAN's Indo-Pacific strategy, the "ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific." Unlike Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" initiative, which was introduced with the intention of countering China, the ASEAN Outlook, adopted in June 2019, emphasizes openness, transparency, and inclusiveness without explicitly mentioning China.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Kishida, President Yoon Suk-yeol, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, and leaders from nine ASEAN member countries. Kishida conveyed his desire to work together to build a constructive and stable Japan-China relationship, and Premier Li acknowledged the importance of bilateral relations.
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