Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi – United States Department of State

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi on the margins of APEC today.  The Secretary and Foreign Minister affirmed the importance of the U.S.-Japan Alliance as the cornerstone of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, one that has evolved into a truly global partnership.  They condemned the DPRK’s launch of an ICBM on October 31 and discussed the escalatory deployment of DPRK troops to Russia.  They affirmed the importance of continuing to institutionalize the U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation and of advancing our cooperation via the G7, Quad, and U.S.-Japan-Philippines trilateral, among others, to promote peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and the world.  The Secretary reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and underscored the United States opposes unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific.  The Secretary and Foreign Minister also reaffirmed U.S. and Japanese leaders’ vision to maximally align our countries’ economic and technology strategies.