The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Hayashi Yoshimasa on the sidelines of the fourth Quad Foreign Ministers Ministerial in Melbourne. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister reaffirmed the vital importance of the U.S.-Japan Alliance to promoting peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. They committed to work closely together to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine, and Secretary Blinken thanked Japan for supporting Europe’s energy security through LNG shipments to the region. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Hayashi discussed launching the U.S.-Japan Economic Policy Consultative Committee (Economic “2+2”) recently established by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida. They stressed cooperation on shared priorities on supply chains, critical minerals, and the digital economy, including through President Biden’s proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Hayashi discussed measures to press the Burmese regime to cease the violence and restore Burma’s path to democracy.
The Secretary condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) recent ballistic missile launches, which were in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and reaffirmed openness to diplomacy and dialogue with the DPRK. The Secretary also emphasized cooperation with Japan and other allies and partners towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They reiterated their commitment to overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting our respective vaccine and financial pledges and doing more to end the pandemic in 2022. They reaffirmed the importance of U.S.-Japan cooperation to take concrete policy action in 2022 to set the course for significant greenhouse gas reductions in this decisive decade for climate action. Secretary Blinken also conveyed the importance of U.S.-Japan-ROK cooperation for maintaining a free, open, interconnected, prosperous, resilient, and secure Indo-Pacific region.