Young, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Highlighting Importance of U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Cooperation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced a resolution recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

The senators’ resolution states, “The Senate commends the extraordinary leadership of President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister of Japan Kishida Fumio in taking initiative to repair relations between their two countries; … encourages even greater cooperation between South Korea and Japan and trilateral cooperation across diplomatic, economic, security, and informational domains; … [and] recognizes the critical importance to the interests of the United States and the peace and security of the Western Pacific of United States treaty alliances with South Korea and Japan.”

The resolution builds upon Senator Young’s continued efforts to bolster the U.S.-ROK-Japan alliance to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region. In 2023, Young visited Tokyo where he met with Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi and had a productive discussion about trade and the U.S.-Japan alliance. In Washington, Young has also met with Republic of Korea Ambassador Hyundong Cho.  In August 2023, Young also visited Korea and met with South Korean President Yoon and other senior government officials to discuss the U.S.-ROK alliance. 

Below is the full text of the resolution.

Whereas, in 2023, South Korea and Japan restarted bilateral summitry for the first time since 2019 with President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio meeting seven times;

Whereas the two sides have made efforts to address longstanding historical grievances, including the issue of South Koreans forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II;

Whereas the Governments of Japan and South Korea restored normal economic ties, which had been strained since 2019, by reinstating each other on their respective “white lists” of preferential trade partners, with Japan lifting export controls on South Korea related to three materials needed to produce semiconductors and South Korea dropping its case before the World Trade Organization related to those export controls;

Whereas the United States, Japan, and South Korea have restarted trilateral summitry, holding five trilateral meetings among President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida, and President Yoon since June 2022;

Whereas, on August 18, 2023, the United States, Japan, and South Korea held the first standalone trilateral leaders summit at Camp David;

Whereas the three allies issued a trilateral commitment to consult with one another trilaterally “in an expeditious manner to coordinate our responses to regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests and security”;

Whereas the three allies improved deterrence and defense capabilities against the growing security threat posed by North Korea by resuming military exercises in 2022;

Whereas the United States, Japan, and South Korea expanded and developed a multi-year schedule for trilateral military exercises and conducted the first United States-Japan-South Korea aerial exercise in October 2023;

Whereas the three allies have activated a 2022 agreement to exchange real-time missile warning data focused on North Korean missile launches;

Whereas, in December 2022, South Korea and Japan published national security documents that closely mirrored those of the United States, setting the stage for greater policy alignment and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific;

Whereas the three allies announced plans for expanded and more regular summits, including agreeing to hold annual trilateral summit meetings, agreeing to hold annual trilateral meetings among cabinet-level officials, specifically the three countries’ foreign ministers, defense ministers, commerce and industry ministers, and national security advisors, and agreeing to hold the first trilateral meeting among finance ministers;

Whereas the three allies announced a trilateral initiative to synchronize their efforts to build the maritime capabilities of Southeast Asian and Pacific Island countries;

Whereas South Korea and Japan have resumed cabinet- and subcabinet-level bilateral consultations, including holding a Security Dialogue and a Strategic Dialogue;

Whereas the Governments of Japan and South Korea announced a new bilateral science and technology cooperative arrangement, including a hydrogen and ammonia global value chain initiative, which includes raising funds for joint projects, and a quantum technology research and development initiative between the two countries’ government-affiliated research institutes;

Whereas South Korea and Japan cooperated to evacuate Japanese and South Korean nationals from Sudan after the eruption of civil conflict in April 2023 and from Israel after Hamas’ attack in October 2023;

Whereas South Korea arranged for the experts dispatched to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station to monitor TEPCO’s release of treated water into the Pacific Ocean;

Whereas, in December 2023, the United States, Japan, and South Korea held the inaugural meeting of the trilateral Working Group on DPRK Cyber Activities;

Whereas the three allies have held trilateral dialogues on space security (November 2023) and Indo-Pacific policies (January 2024); and

Whereas the United States, Japan, and South Korea announced trilateral economic and technology cooperation initiatives, including a supply chain early warning system pilot program, a partnership program among the three countries’ national laboratories: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—

1. commends the extraordinary leadership of President of South Korea Yoon Suk-Yeol and Prime Minister of Japan Kishida Fumio in taking initiative to repair relations between their two countries;

2. acknowledges that strengthening relations between Japan and South Korea has enabled greater ambition in trilateral cooperation involving the United States;

3. encourages ever greater cooperation between South Korea and Japan and trilateral cooperation across diplomatic, economic, security, and informational domains;

4. welcomes ever greater levels of trilateral strategic coordination among the United States, Japan, and South Korea as a stabilizing influence on the Western Pacific region and global order more broadly;

5. celebrates the shared democratic, liberal values that are the bedrock of the enduring ties among the United States, Japan, and South Korea; and

6. recognizes the critical importance to the interests of the United States and the peace and security of the Western Pacific of United States treaty alliances with South Korea and Japan.