Defense ministers from the U.S., South Korea and Japan signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework (TSCF) on Sunday in Japan. The TSCF institutionalizes trilateral security cooperation, including policy consultations, information sharing and joint exercises. The defense ministers condemned North Korea’s recent diversification of nuclear delivery systems, tests and launches of multiple ballistic missiles and expressed concern over its growing military ties with Russia.

The leaders reaffirmed their opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo in Indo-Pacific waters and stressed the importance of respecting international law. They commended the recent Freedom Edge trilateral exercise and agreed to hold the next trilateral ministerial meeting in South Korea. The TSCF aims to address regional challenges and threats, focusing on peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the broader Indo-Pacific region.