The U.S. Department of Defense said that the United States will continue its close cooperation with South Korea and Japan for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region as well as the world.

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder issued the position in a press briefing on Tuesday when asked about the possibility of creating a new extended deterrence mechanism among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.

The spokesperson said that the U.S. very much values its relationships with Japan and South Korea and continues to pursue close efforts with them to find opportunities to work together.

Ryder declined, however, to comment on Japan’s inclusion in the Washington Declaration, under which Seoul and Washington agreed to establish a Nuclear Consultative Group(NCG), saying only that the U.S. will announce any new developments.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden announced the declaration after their summit in April, under which the NCG will soon hold its inaugural meeting to discuss how to increase the U.S. nuclear deterrence to counter nuclear threats from North Korea.

The U.S. and Japan also held a bilateral Extended Deterrence Dialogue recently.