The gathering of leaders from Asia’s major nations occurs against a backdrop of escalating global tensions fueled by U.S. tariff announcements. These officials aim to establish the foundation for an upcoming trilateral summit scheduled for later this year.
The foreign ministers of Japan, China, and South Korea convened in Tokyo on Saturday to address collaboration on trade, regional stability, and various matters against the backdrop of escalating geopolitical pressures.
The gathering of these East Asian neighbors, who have traditionally faced strained relationships and territorial conflicts, takes place against the backdrop of potential trade tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
"Given the increasingly severe international situation, I believe we may truly be at a turning point in history," Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said at the start of the meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and South Korea's top diplomat Cho Tae-yul.
Iwaya stated that it has never been more crucial to strive for reconciliation and collaboration over divisiveness and conflict via discussions and cooperative endeavors.
Diplomats talk about collaboration, focus on North Korea
China's Wang Yi noted that this year commemorates the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II, stating that "it is only through an honest acknowledgment of our past that we can effectively shape our future."
"Widening East Asian collaboration" could enable the three nations to "collectively tackle challenges" and enhance "cultural comprehension" among their populations, Wang further noted.
South Korea's Cho Tae-yul emphasized that their trilateral cooperation could convey "a message of hope for the future to the global community."
Besides discussions on trade, one of the subjects scheduled for consideration on Saturday included the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, an objective that was restated during the meeting between the nations' leaders in Seoul back in May—the first such summit in half a decade.
"Ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula is crucial for overall peace and prosperity in East Asia as well as globally, and I am hopeful that an open dialogue regarding the North Korean nuclear issue will occur today," stated Cho.
In contrast to Tokyo and Seoul, Beijing serves as one of North Korea’s primary international backers, offering both economic and political backing to the predominantly secluded government in Pyongyang.
Japan and South Korea maintain strong alliances with the U.S., hosting numerous American military personnel within their borders. Each country considers China a potential risk to stability in the region.
Organizing a tripartite leadership conference
On Friday, the three foreign ministers had a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, during which he emphasized the importance of "practical diplomacy."
Even though China has suffered the most, all three East Asian countries have experienced the effects of the tariffs implemented by Trump after his return to the White House in January.
In addition to discussions on trade and North Korea, the ministers planned to tackle issues such as climate change, aging demographics, collaboration on natural disaster responses, and Russia's conflict in Ukraine, along with several other policy matters.
The ministers aim to establish a trilateral leadership meeting by the end of 2025, according to Japan’s national public broadcasting corporation, NHK.
Later on Saturday, bilateral discussions will take place, featuring the inaugural "high-level economic dialogue" between Japan and China in six years.
Japan aims to resume shipments of Japanese seafood to China, which ceased in 2023 following Japan started releasing wastewater From the impaired Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
Edited by: Alex Berry
Author: Karl Sexton (alongside AFP, Reuters, AP contributions)
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