US, Japan, Philippines agree to strengthen security ties amid tensions over China, North Korea

FILE – White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan takes a question from a reporter at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, April 24, 2023. National security advisors from the United States, Japan and the Philippines, in their first such trilateral talks Friday, June 16, 2023 agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation, as Washington and its partners seek to reinforce their alliances to adapt to growing tensions over North Korea, China and Ukraine, Sullivan said. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) TOKYO - The national security advisers of the United States, Japan and the Philippines held their first…