Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono (Photo: Kyodo/ VNA) |
Earlier in the day, South Korea said it had decided to withdraw from the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), an intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo, amid an escalating row between the two nations. The GSOMIA, signed in 2016, allows both countries to directly exchange classified information, bypassing Washington, which previously acted as a middle man between Tokyo and Seoul.