US House passes bill to establish trilateral legislative dialogue among South Korea, US, Japan

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to establish a formal parliamentary dialogue channel among South Korea, the United States and Japan.

The full House unanimously approved the measure Monday, local time.

The bill, officially titled the "United States-Japan-Korea Trilateral Cooperation Act," was introduced by Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific, on May 15 last year. It cleared the House Foreign Affairs Committee on July 22 last year by a vote of 47-3, and passed the full House nearly a year later. The legislation takes effect once it clears the Senate and is signed by the president.

The bill directs the Department of State to negotiate with the governments of South Korea and Japan to establish an official trilateral parliamentary dialogue channel. The legislation states that "not later than 180 days after the date of enactment, the Secretary of State shall, in consultation with Congress, initiate negotiations with the governments of Japan and the Republic of Korea with the goal of reaching a written agreement to establish a United States-Japan-Korea parliamentary dialogue to promote close cooperation on shared interests and values."

The US delegation to the parliamentary dialogue would consist of eight members — four from the House and four from the Senate — serving two-year terms. Republicans and Democrats must each hold four seats within the delegation.

Bera issued a statement Tuesday saying the bill "reflects the commitments made at the Camp David trilateral summit in August 2023 and underscores Congress's role in translating those commitments into sustained policy and institutional cooperation."

"The United States, Japan and South Korea are stronger when we work together to advance our common interests and meet our shared challenges," Bera said. "This legislation helps ensure that trilateral cooperation endures over the long term by strengthening exchanges between our legislatures and reaffirming America's commitment to its two closest allies in the Indo-Pacific region."