FILE PHOTO: Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan March 3, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool
March 11, 2022
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that he told South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol that good bilateral ties are essential and need to be advanced given the state of world affairs.
Kishida told reporters after a phone call with Yoon that the two agreed to stay in close contact over North Korea and agreed that it would be good to meet as soon as possible.
Kishida added that pretty much all diplomatic options are open in dealing with North Korea, including possibly sanctions, and that Japan will stay in close contact with the United States and South Korea on any response.
(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
