Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida says, he and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have reaffirmed that they will work together to stop the spread of chemical weapons. The two leaders held talks today on the sidelines of a meeting of the Group of 7 Foreign Affairs Chiefs in Italy.

Mr Tillerson said, they have met many times over the past 2 months and it highlights the importance of bilateral relations. Mr Kishida said, Mr Tillerson’s visit to Japan last month demonstrated the strong alliance between the two countries. They discussed the situation in Syria and North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.

Mr Kishida later told reporters that he delivered Japan’s support for US determination to fulfill its responsibility to deter the spread and use of chemical weapons.

The US military carried out missile strikes on a Syrian air force base in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack by government forces.