今日のテキスト TRILATERAL SUMMIT TALKS

The leaders of Japan and South Korea have held their first formal talks since they both assumed office. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye have been caught up in disputes over history and territory, but they sat down together with U.S. President Barack Obama.
NHK World's Takashi Ichinose reports.
The leaders of Japan and South Korea finally agreed to talk on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague. President Obama had pushed both leaders to mend their strained relations before his official visit to the Asian region in April.

(Barack Obama / U.S. President)
"This is the first time that the three of us have had an opportunity to meet together and discuss some of the serious challenges that we all face. Obviously, Japan and the Republic of Korea are two of our closest allies in the world."

Their 50-minute meeting focused mainly on their common security threat in the region, North Korea. They discussed the unpredictability of leader Kim Jong Un and the country's nuclear and missile development programs. They also discussed humanitarian issues such as abductions by North Korea. Both Japanese and South Korean nationals are among the abductees.

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