UPDATE - Blinken Discusses Taiwan, North Korea With Japanese Counterpart - US State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2022) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa in Germany to discuss regional security issues, including Taiwan and North Korea, State Department spokesperson Ned price said on Friday.

"Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Hayashi discussed the imperative of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They also discussed the DPRK's (North Korea's) continued dangerous and destabilizing actions and affirmed the need for the international community to unite in holding the DPRK accountable," Price said in a readout of the discussion.

The meeting comes following a spree of weapons tests by North Korea, including ballistic missile test launches and artillery firings.

Blinken emphasized the importance of Japan's continued support for Ukraine amid Russia's special military operation in that country, as well as on issues such as energy security and supply chains, the statement said.

The US secretary of state praised Hayashi's leadership and welcomed Japan's 2023 G7 presidency and UN Security Council membership, the statement added.

Hayashi, for his part, "expressed his high appreciation for the US National Security Strategy," which reiterated "the promotion of a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' and the unwavering US commitment to the defense of Japan, including the Senkaku Islands," the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Friday.

The two ministers also agreed to continue close coordination between Tokyo, Washington, and Seoul "toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea," in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions, the press release said.

Hayashi, given the increasing US engagement in the region's economy, urged Washington to return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership "at an early timing," the ministry added.