The leaders of the U.S. and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to resuming diplomatic outreach to the DPRK on Wednesday despite its recent rejection of a summit with Tokyo, while pledging to simultaneously strengthen security cooperation against Pyongyang’s threats.

After wide-ranging talks in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida emphasized the importance of Tokyo’s push for a summit with Kim Jong Un, the White House reported in a readout of their press conference.