Nikkei and Sankei reported on Saturday that Foreign Minister Kono met with his Australian counterpart Bishop in Singapore on Friday. The papers said the two ministers reportedly agreed to urge North Korea to achieve the complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. They also reportedly confirmed the importance of fully implementing the UNSC sanctions against North Korea. The two ministers reportedly agreed to work closely in surveillance activities to prevent North Korea from exploiting loopholes in the sanctions.