WASHINGTON -- The Japanese and U.S. governments are making final arrangements for the release of a joint statement confirming their continued efforts to strengthen pressure on North Korea, it has been learned.
The statement also calls for reinforced cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea over North Korea, which continues its nuclear and missile development.
According to sources close to the U.S. government and knowledgeable about Japan-U.S. diplomacy, the joint statement will be issued after a meeting to be held Wednesday in Japan between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
North Korea has adopted a conciliatory stance ahead of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which begin Friday, but Japan and the United States aim to convey their steadfast unwillingness to compromise on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, the sources said.
Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump previously issued a joint statement at a Japan-U.S. summit meeting in February last year. It is unusual, however, for a joint statement to be issued at a meeting between Abe and the vice president, who holds the No. 2 post in the administration. The two countries will again showcase the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance amid continued tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
According to the sources, the two governments will confirm in the joint statement their continued application of "maximum pressure" on North Korea and goal of forcing Pyongyang into a dialogue on denuclearization.
North Korea has accepted talks with South Korea on the upcoming Olympics. However, Japan and the United States will clearly convey in the joint statement that they will not easily consent to talks on nuclear and missile development, the sources added. The move is also aimed at checking the administration of South Korean President Moon Jae In, which places importance on dialogue with North Korea.
The sources noted that the two countries will also confirm the importance of fully implementing sanctions resolutions adopted by the U.N. Security Council.
As North Korea has repeatedly evaded sanctions by moving refined petroleum products and other goods on international waters with the help of foreign ships, Japan and the United States will also commit to strengthening information sharing and cooperation between relevant authorities in both countries.
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