The 8th trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting was held here on Wednesday, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se attended.
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The three-way foreign ministers’ meetings are an important framework to discuss pressing regional issues, such as North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes. The leaders of the three countries met in November past year in South Korea.
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (L) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi approach each other in Tokyo for a handshake ahead of a trilateral meeting that includes Japan on August 24, 2016.
China’s foreign ministry said Japan was this year’s convener and so the talks would happen in Japan.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a joint press conference in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 24, 2016.
“Despite Japan’s repeated strong protests, the Chinese side has continued to take unilateral actions that raise tensions on the ground, and that is absolutely unacceptable”, Kanasugi told Guo, according to the foreign ministry statement.
South Korea said Thursday that surviving South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s military in World War II will be eligible to receive around 100 million won (about $90,000) each from a foundation that will be funded by the Japanese government.
Tension between Japan and China mounted this month after a growing number of Chinese coastguard and other government ships sailed near disputed islets in the East China Sea.
China’s navy and air force have held a series of drills in surrounding waters since an worldwide arbitration panel issued a ruling last month invalidating China’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea.
The uninhabited islands, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, are controlled by Japan but claimed also by China.
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Mr Kishida had called late last month for trilateral ministerial talks to be held in Japan before end of the year.
