1. The eleventh Trilateral Senior Foreign Officials' Consultation among the Republic of Korea, Japan and China took place in Tokyo, Japan, on August 21, with Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Hyoung-zhin, Deputy Minister Takeo Akiba and Vice Minister Liu Zhenmin of the Foreign Ministries of the three countries leading their respective delegations.

2. In the meeting, the head delegates of the three countries reviewed the progress in and the way forward for the trilateral cooperation as well as the full range of matters concerning the operation of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat. They agreed to continuously seek advances in the trilateral cooperation mechanism that had been restored on track on the occasion of the trilateral summit meeting in November 2011.

° In particular, Deputy Minister Kim stressed that the three countries should take the opportunity of the high-level consultation, the first of its kind since the trilateral cooperation mechanism was restored on track on the occasion of the trilateral summit meeting in Seoul in November 2011, to start to sincerely pursue trilateral cooperation in 2016.

3. In the meeting, the three head delegates engaged in an in-depth discussion in preparation for a trilateral foreign ministerial meeting, which is expected to come in the near future.

4. Earlier in the day, ahead of the ROK-Japan-China Trilateral Senior Foreign Officials' Consultation, Deputy Minister Kim met bilaterally with Vice Minister Liu of China.

° Deputy Minister Kim stressed that as North Korea continues to commit missile provocations and to flagrantly pursue advances in its nuclear and missile capabilities, it is of paramount importance for the international community to be united in responding to such moves. Vice Minister Liu mentioned that China’s position firmly calls for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula as well as peace and stability on the Peninsula, proposing that the ROK and China continue communication and cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue.

° Deputy Minister Kim and Vice Minister Liu shared with each other their respective countries’ basic positions on the envisioned deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The Deputy Minister emphasized that any particular issue should not undermine efforts to develop bilateral relations.

5. On August 21, Deputy Minister Kim also met bilaterally with Deputy Minister Takeo Akiba of Japan and exchanged views with him on matters of mutual concern, including the way forward for the ROK-Japan relations and the implementation of the bilateral agreement on the “comfort women” issue.

° With regard to the implementation of the ROK-Japan agreement on the “comfort women” issue concluded in December 2015, Deputy Minister Kim stressed that as the Foreign Ministers of the two countries had reaffirmed in their telephone conversation on August 12, it is important to restore the honor and dignity of the victims and to heal their psychological wounds as soon as possible through a thorough implementation of the agreement.

° Deputy Minister Akiba, agreeing on the importance of a faithful implementation of the agreement, reaffirmed the Japanese government’s plan to move promptly forward with the domestic procedures for contributing one billion yen to the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, which had been set up on July 28.


* unofficial translation