Joe Biden to hold trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea; Know what's on agenda

US President Joe Biden is set to convene a trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea on August 18th, aiming to address the pressing concerns surrounding North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. According to sources within the Japanese government, who spoke with The Manichi, a Japanese Daily, the summit is expected to take place at the serene Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, near Washington.

If the plan proceeds as scheduled, it will mark the first standalone summit between the leaders of the United States, Japan, and South Korea, even though they have previously engaged in trilateral meetings during international conferences and other events. Their last encounter occurred in May in Hiroshima during a Group of Seven summit, but due to a tight schedule, the three-way meeting lasted only a brief few minutes. At that time, President Biden extended an invitation to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Yoon Suk Yeol for an official summit in the United States.

What will be on the agenda?

The forthcoming summit is expected to revolve around the discussion of strategies to address North Korea's continuous ballistic missile launches. Among the topics on the table may be a plan for real-time information sharing about North Korea's missile launches by the end of this year. Currently, Washington has a system separately linked to Tokyo and Seoul for detecting and tracking Pyongyang's missiles. However, Japan and South Korea do not possess a mechanism for immediate information exchange between each other.

The momentum for strengthening trilateral relations received a boost when President Yoon visited Tokyo in March, marking the first visit by a South Korean leader to Japan in many years. During the visit, Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida made progress in resolving a long-standing dispute over wartime conscripted labor, fostering a sense of collaboration between the two nations.

As bilateral relations between Japan and South Korea continue to improve, the two countries have extended their policy coordination with the United States, addressing not only North Korean issues but also broader areas such as Russia's conflict with Ukraine and critical material supply chains.

The upcoming trilateral summit holds the promise of fostering closer ties between the three nations and navigating the complex security landscape in the Indo-Pacific region. As the leaders gather at Camp David, their discussions are expected to shape the direction of regional cooperation and stability in the face of shared challenges.