Kishida: "North Korea's ICBM-class missile launch threatens peace and security... ROK-US-Japan cooperation needed"

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, during his meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 12th, strongly criticized North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-class ballistic missile, saying it "threatens international peace and security," according to Japan's Kyodo News.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the report, Prime Minister Kishida made these remarks during the joint statement at the summit meeting with President Yoon held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on the occasion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, emphasizing the need for close cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

Kishida also expressed his welcome for the progress in cooperation not only between the governments of South Korea and Japan but also in the private sector. He explained, "The South Korea-Japan defense ministers' meeting in June, the first finance ministers' meeting in seven years, and the Korea-Japan industrial cooperation between Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) and the Federation of Korean Industries held last week are good examples of this."

Meanwhile, it is reported that during this summit, Kishida directly explained to President Yoon the safety and monitoring systems related to the planned ocean discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant scheduled for this summer, seeking his understanding.