Nikkei: Agreement to Hold Security Chiefs Meeting Annually at Korea-US-Japan Summit

The governments of South Korea, the United States, and Japan are set to include in a joint statement that, at the trilateral summit to be held on the 18th (local time) at Camp David in the United States, not only the leaders but also senior officials in charge of the National Security Council (NSC) will hold regular consultations once a year, Nikkei reported on the 16th.

Last May in Hiroshima, Japan, U.S. President Joe Biden (from the left), Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and President Yoon Suk-yeol are exchanging greetings. / Photo by Yonhap News

Nikkei reported that the trilateral consultations will be held regularly on multiple levels with the goal of establishing a cooperative relationship that remains stable regardless of changes in government in any of the countries.

The senior security officials' consultations are expected to include Cho Tae-yong, South Korea's National Security Office Director; Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor; and Takeo Akiba, Director of Japan's National Security Secretariat.

It is also anticipated that, on the occasion of this summit, an agreement will be reached to hold the trilateral summit and joint military exercises annually on a regular basis. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a briefing the day before that regarding the regularization of the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit, "Through this meeting, we can expect to see regularized cooperation at various levels among the three countries," adding, "(The regularization of the summit) is an expected outcome of the talks."

Nikkei also forecasted that the joint statement will include cooperation policies in various fields such as responding to North Korean missiles, the Indo-Pacific region where China is strengthening its presence, cyber defense, and economic security. Additionally, it reported that South Korea, the U.S., and Japan will also provide support to third countries such as ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and Pacific island nations.

In this regard, Kyodo News also reported that the three countries are coordinating to establish a consultative body to discuss cooperation measures among working-level officials in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), economic security, and cyber defense.

South Korea, the U.S., and Japan are expected to agree on strengthening supply chains for critical materials such as semiconductors, considering China's economic coercion. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will depart on the 17th to attend the trilateral summit.