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The President: I want to thank President Park
and Prime Minister Abe for being here today.
I have worked closely with both the President and the
Prime Minister, but this is the first time 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 and our two most
significant and powerful allies
in the Asia Pacific region.
The ties between our peoples run deep.
We do an extraordinary amount of trade together.
Our alliances with South Korea and Japan
uphold regional peace and security.
So our meeting today is a reflection of the
United States' critical role in the Asia Pacific region,
but that role depends on the strength
of our alliances.
One of the things that brings us together today
is our shared concern about North Korea
and its nuclear weapons program.
Over the last five years, close coordination between
our three countries has succeeded in changing
the game with North Korea, and our trilateral cooperation
has sent a strong signal to Pyongyang
that its provocations and threats will be met with
a unified response and that the U.S.
commitment to the security of both Japan
and the Republic of Korea is unwavering, and that
a nuclear North Korea is unacceptable.
So I very much look forward to discussing some
of the specific steps that we can take to deepen
that coordination in terms of both diplomacy
and military cooperation.
And that includes joint exercises
and on missile defense.
So, again, I want to thank President Park and Prime
Minister Abe for being here after a long summit.
I appreciate their delegations being
here as well.
I think it's very important for our three
nations to display this kind of unity
and shared determination.
It's an important message to our citizens;
it's an important message to the Asia Pacific region.
And this also gives me an opportunity to lay the
groundwork for even more productive meetings when
I visit both the Republic of Korea and Japan in April.
So, thank you again, Madam Prime Minister --
Madam President and Mr. Prime Minister.
Thank you very much.
President Park: (As interpreted.) Given the
increasingly uncertain developments
in North Korea, the critical need for closer coordination
among the three countries with regard
to North Korea, the North Korean nuclear issue,
the chance to engage in an exchange of views with
President Obama and Prime Minister Abe
is very significant.
The North Korean nuclear issue poses a major threat
to peace and stability in the region,
and it is vital that the international community,
including Korea,
the U.S. and Japan, fashion a united response.
The fact that the leaders of the three countries
have gathered together and they're discussing the
issue of the North Korean nuclear weapons issue
is in and of itself very significant.
Should North Korea embark on the path
to denuclearization on the basis of sincerity,
then there will be a way forward to address the
difficulties confronting the North Korean people.
The United States has worked very hard to make
today's meeting happen.
I sincerely hope that this meeting will offer
a chance for us to reaffirm
our trilateral coordination and strengthen cooperation
on the nuclear front.
Prime Minister Abe: (As interpreted.) I am so delighted
that we are able to hold the
Japan-U.S.-Republic of
Korea trilateral summit today.
I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude
to President Obama for hosting this summit.
And I am so very happy to be able to see
President Park Geun-Hye.
It is highly meaningful and also timely
that the leaders of the three countries sharing basic
values and strategic interests are gathering
together to have extensive discussions of security.
Particularly, it is extremely important
to be able to confirm close cooperation amongst Japan,
the United States and the Republic of Korea
on the issue of North Korea.
And the three countries would like to cooperate
so that North Korea will be able to take a positive
stance with regard to nuclear and missile issues
and also humanitarian issues,
such as the separated families of the Republic of Korea.
President Obama: Thank you very much, everybody.