Japan's defence minister said Tuesday that cooperation between his country, the United States and South Korea was "critical", after US President Donald Trump scaled back military drills with Seoul just hours before they began a day earlier.
"As Japan faces the most severe and complicated security environment in the post-war era, the cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea is critical to the peace and stability of the region," Koizumi Shinjiro said in Australia after talks with his counterpart Richard Marles.
The Japan-Australia meeting in Canberra came hours after Trump praised his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and lashed out at the South for not helping Washington fight Iran.
Asked about Trump's comments, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said his country was "very concerned about North Korea's nuclear programme as well as its missile programme, and we have consistently made that point."
"I think in the challenging world that we face... and there are many challenges, but North Korea is the author of quite a few of those challenges," he added.
Trump on Monday said Kim Jong Un has responded to requests for the two leaders to have a conversation and that his relationship was making the region “much safer”.
The US President’s renewed overtures to Kim come at a time when the US relationship with South Korea is under pressure following the president’s imposition of tariffs on South Korean products.
Trump has turned to Seoul as a source of direct investment in the US and as a partner to help rebuild the American shipbuilding industry after years of decline.
