US, Japan, Korea Officials Talk Export Controls in Tokyo

U.S., Japanese and Korean officials met in Tokyo this week to discuss export controls, including ways their three countries can better share information and align their restrictions, the Bureau of Industry and Security said. The meeting was the “first in-person meeting of its kind” focused on aligning export controls, BIS said, and the three sides agreed to “further align on Russia controls, collaborate on outreach to countries in Southeast Asia, and cooperate on controls for critical and emerging technologies.”

Thea Kendler, the BIS assistant secretary for export administration, said cooperation with allies is a “longstanding priority for BIS.” Katsuro Igari, director-general of Japan’s Trade Control Department, said the nations “deepened our knowledge on how respective export control systems work in Japan, the ROK, and the U.S. in the first trilateral meeting.” Kamchan Kang, South Korea’s director-general for trade control policy, said he wants to improve export control cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to “prevent the diversion of dual-use items and maintain international peace.”

The meeting in Tokyo follows a summit President Joe Biden had with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the U.S. in August, where the three leaders agreed to boost export control cooperation, including enforcement (see 2308180046).