Assessing the prospect of the new trilateral cooperation between the US, Japan, and Korea

Since 2015, the US, Japan, and Korea have maintained a cooperative relationship. This relationship has reached a turning point. This partnership has avowed deeper engagement and is to be annually regularized by the three leaders from 2023. This study examines how the three countries must overcome their issues to cooperate better and enter a new era. However, additional steps are required to foster this nascent relationship. First, there are different security agendas and priorities among the three countries. Second, the trilateral relationship in Northeast Asia has never been successful, and cooperation has never continued, especially in the field of security aspect. Third, this cooperation is mainly based on the US influence. Fourth, the three countries lack geographical proximity and have loopholes for gatherings by developed countries. In sum, 2024 would be a real testing time because of the upcoming political schedules in Japan, Korea and the US.