The U.S. State Department has said "strong, close" relationships among South Korea, the United States and Japan advance their shared goals of regional peace.

Yonhap News reported Monday that a department spokesperson said, "The Biden Administration is committed to strengthening U.S. alliance relationships, particularly with our key Northeast Asian allies Japan and the Republic of Korea."

The official issued the statement via email after President Moon Jae-in expressed his desire to resolve pending bilateral issues during a speech he gave to mark the 1919 Independence Movement in Korea against Japanese colonial rule.

Moon said Seoul is ready to talk with Tokyo anytime to promote future-oriented ties separate from historical disputes.

The two countries have been locked in protracted rows over Tokyo's wartime sexual slavery and forced labor, as well as its export restrictions against Seoul.

The U.S. government has stressed the importance of its trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan amid its intensifying strategic competition with China and efforts to denuclearize North Korea.

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