U.S., Japan, South Korea send clear message to N.Korea - U.S. diplomat

Japan's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori (C), South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman pose for photographs prior to their trilateral meeting in Tokyo, Japan July 21, 2021. Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) -The United States, Japan and South Korea are sending a clear message with their coordination on policy towards North Korea, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, despite some recent friction between the two Asian allies.

"That close coordination sends a very critical message to North Korea in that we are together and shoulder-to-shoulder in our approach to this policy," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told reporters after meeting the vice foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea.