By Tim Kelly
TOKYO (Reuters) – The top diplomats from Japan, China and South Korea met in Tokyo on Saturday as the East Asian neighbours seek common ground on regional security and economic issues amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.
“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 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul.
“That makes it even more important to overcome division and confrontation through dialogue and cooperation,” he added.
The meeting, the first between the countries’ top diplomats since 2023, is expected to cover topics ranging from North Korean nuclear weapons to trade, and will pave the way for a three-way leaders’ summit following one in Seoul last year.
Iwaya will also hold separate bilateral meetings with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts, including the first high-level economic dialogue with Beijing in six years.
Iwaya this week said that would include discussion on a ban on Japanese seafood imports imposed by China after the release of wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant from 2023.
(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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