Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing unite to tackle aging populations and declining birth rates

Japan, China, and South Korea have agreed to organize a trilateral summit focused on addressing declining birth rates and aging populations, key challenges affecting all three nations.

Report informs via Reuters that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met in Tokyo on March 22 to discuss regional security and economic stability amid rising global uncertainty.

Following the talks, Iwaya confirmed that preparations for the summit in Japan this year would be accelerated, with demographic challenges set to be a central topic.

This marks the first high-level foreign ministers' meeting between the three nations since 2023.

"Together, our three countries represent a population of approximately 1.6 billion and an economy exceeding $24 trillion. With such vast markets and potential, we can have a significant impact," said Wang Yi, while also expressing China's interest in reviving free trade negotiations with its neighbors.

South Korea’s Cho Tae-yul urged China to help persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions and emphasized the need to halt alleged military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.