LIMA (Kyodo) -- The leaders of Japan, the United States and South Korea on Friday announced the creation of a secretariat to further align their policies and actions, about two months before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump returns to power with his go-it-alone approach to foreign affairs.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who met in Lima on the sidelines of an international meeting, said the new entity will make the Indo-Pacific "a thriving, connected, resilient, stable, and secure region."

"We've now reached a moment of significant political change," Biden said in his remarks to the Japanese and South Korean leaders. He added that he hopes the partnership is "built to last."

Ishiba, who became Japan's leader in early October, said, "In order to effectively respond to international challenges of intensifying complexity, our trilateral partnership has become more important than ever."

While it remains to be seen whether Trump will support the format, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said the three leaders discussed major regional issues, including North Korea and unilateral attempts to change the status quo.

"We steadfastly oppose the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels and coercive activities in the South China Sea," their joint statement said, without referring directly to China.

They also denounced North Korea on multiple fronts, including its missile development and "malicious" cyber programs, and the recent deployment of troops to Russia to engage in combat in its war against Ukraine.

They condemned the decisions by the leaders of North Korea and Russia for "dangerously" expanding the war.

At the meeting, which took place during this year's summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Yoon said the deployment reflects "the challenging security environment within and outside the region once again" which reminds the three countries of the importance of their trilateral cooperation.

Biden is particularly proud of having hosted what he often calls a "historic" trilateral summit with former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Yoon in August last year at the Camp David U.S. presidential retreat near Washington.

After years of heightened tensions between Japan and South Korea over wartime issues, Biden played a pivotal role in widening the scope of three-way cooperation from primarily focusing on North Korea to addressing other realms, such as economic security and emerging technologies.

It was the first time since the Camp David summit that Japan, the United States and South Korea organized such an occasion for their leaders, but officials of the three countries from across government agencies have held scores of meetings over the past months.

In the months leading up to last week's U.S. presidential election, Biden administration officials ramped up efforts to "institutionalize" the trilateral framework as well as a "latticework" of partnerships with like-minded countries that had been fortified during Biden's term.

In the statement, Ishiba, Biden and Yoon said the trilateral relationship will be "a ballast of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific for years to come."

Ahead of the meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes, Ishiba met with Biden for the first time and agreed with him that the decades-old U.S.-Japan alliance has never been stronger and that the two countries will continue working closely to further strengthen it, according to the ministry.

Biden, who developed a close working relationship with Ishiba's predecessor Kishida, has repeatedly highlighted that the United States and Japan have significantly broadened cooperation under his administration, which ends in January.