Photo/Illutration The leaders of Japan, the United States and South Korea meet in Phnom Penh in November on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Japan, the United States and South Korea will hold a trilateral summit meeting in May on the sidelines of the Group of Seven gathering to be held in Hiroshima.

Discussions are focusing on the most appropriate timing for a meeting between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has been invited to attend the G-7 summit meeting, according to several sources in the Japanese and South Korean governments.

Biden strongly requested the three-way meeting to discuss North Korea’s continuing provocations concerning frequent launches of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons development.

The last time the three leaders met was in November in Phnom Penh on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit meeting.

Seoul’s announcement in March to resolve the issue of compensation to Korean wartime laborers has greatly improved its ties with Tokyo, leading to Yoon visiting Japan later that month.

The Biden administration apparently wants to build on that momentum and hold the three-way summit. The United States has long called on Japan and South Korea to sort out their bilateral differences to strengthen three-way security cooperation.

In addition to North Korea, the three leaders are also expected to discuss China’s maritime advances and the issue of a free and open Indo-Pacific region based on the rule of law.

Economic security in terms of securing a stable supply chain for semiconductors and other vital products will likely also be on the agenda.

The improved ties between Japan and South Korea will also lead to a meeting later in April between officials handling foreign policy and defense from the two nations. It would be the first such meeting in about five years.

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