KYODO NEWS - May 22, 2018 - 14:18 | All, World

Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono agreed Monday with his British, Dutch and Australian counterparts on the need to maintain pressure on North Korea to attain the goal of ridding the country of nuclear and other weapons, officials said.

Kono reached the agreement in separate meetings with Boris Johnson of Britain, Stef Blok of the Netherlands, and Julie Bishop of Australia on the fringes of a Group of 20 foreign ministers' gathering in Buenos Aires.

Johnson, Bishop and Kono shared the view that Japan and Britain as well as Australia should step up cooperation in realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The Japanese minister also confirmed with Blok a close partnership between their nations in dealing with North Korea as the Netherlands currently presides over a U.N. committee on sanctions on Pyongyang, the officials said.

(Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono)