Motegi, Rubio Vow Cooperation for Takaichi-Trump Summit

Munich, Feb. 14 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday agreed to work closely to make an upcoming summit between the leaders of the two countries an opportunity to demonstrate the unwavering Japan-U.S. alliance. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is slated to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in March. At a meeting in Munich, southern Germany, which lasted for about 30 minutes, Motegi and Rubio also agreed to advance initiatives in the field of economic security, including critical minerals and rare earths, and to strengthen the deterrence of the Japan-U.S. alliance, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. They affirmed plans to implement the tariff agreement reached by the two countries. Also in the meeting, Motegi and Rubio discussed enhancing cooperation with countries such as South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia. The foreign ministers addressed issues concerning China, which is increasing military pressure on Taiwan, and North Korea, which continues to develop nuclear weapons and missiles. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in the German city. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]