Cabinet ministers in charge of economy and trade in Japan, China and South Korea have agreed to further promote trade based on international rules in the first such talks in about five years.
Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Muto Yoji attended the trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday.
At the onset of the meeting, Muto noted that the three countries together serve as a driving force for the world's economy, accounting for about 25 percent of the world's GDP.
He stressed the importance of maintaining and strengthening the order of the rules-based global economy, while the international environment is rapidly changing and increasingly unstable.
A joint statement released after the meeting says the ministers agreed to continue promoting multilateral free trade based on the rules of the World Trade Organization.
It also says they have agreed to speed up negotiations for a trilateral free trade agreement, on which the countries began talks in 2012.
Muto is expected to hold a news conference later in the day to explain in more detail.
Observers are paying attention to what the ministers discussed regarding US President Donald Trump's administration's attempts to raise tariffs on many fronts. How to respond to moves by the US is believed to have been the main focus of the meeting.