Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono gestures during a news conference on the sidelines of the 50th Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) in Manila, Philippines August 7, 2017.Dondi Tawatao
MANILA (Reuters) – Japan’s foreign minister said “heated discussions” took place about North Korea’s missile tests and South China Sea disputes at a security forum on Monday, and most countries believed U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang should be fully implemented.
Taro Kono told reporters there was broad support among the 27 foreign ministers at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila for pressure to be exerted on North Korea and for a new U.N. Security Council resolution to be fully implemented.
Among those attending the event were North and South Korea, Russia, China, Japan and Australia.
Kono also said Japan supported the United States in its activities in the South China Sea to ensure freedom of navigation, and in a veiled reference to China, opposed “any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force”.
Reporting by Manolo Serapio Jr and Neil Jerome Morales; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Catherine Evans
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