Trump is Helping China, Japan, and South Korea to Look Beyond Historical Rivalries — But They’re Still Working Out the Details

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya join hands at the start of their meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on March 21, 2025. Franck ROBICHON / POOL / AFP

Japan, South Korea, and China agreed Saturday that peace on the Korean Peninsula was a shared responsibility, according to Seoul’s foreign minister. The three countries’ top diplomats met in Tokyo and pledged to increase cooperation, deepen trade ties, and restated their goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

The meeting came as U.S. tariffs loom over the region and as concerns mount over North Korea’s weapons tests and its deployment of troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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by Eric Olander

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