Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he and U. S. President Donald Trump agreed in telephone talks Wednesday night to continue to put pressure on North Korea over
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he and U. S. President Donald Trump agreed in telephone talks Wednesday night to continue to put pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs.
Abe told reporters after the conversation lasting more than an hour that he and Trump affirmed they will maintain the pressure until North Korea seeks dialogue on the basis it will give up its nuclear program.
“Dialogue for the sake of dialogue would be meaningless,” Abe said. “We talked thoroughly about what we should do from here on to make the denuclearization of North Korea a reality.”
He also said the two confirmed the unshakable bond of the Japan-U. S. alliance in the face of the North Korea threat. A senior government official said later that Abe and Trump shared the importance of U. S.-South Korea joint military exercises.
Abe’s conversation with Trump, the second this month, followed a display of unity between North and South Korea at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
It came amid concern in Tokyo that the thaw between the two Koreas could compromise efforts to maximize diplomatic and economic pressure on Pyongyang and lead to the start of dialogue on North Korea’s terms, effectively accepting it as a nuclear power.
Ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday, Abe held talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and confirmed the two countries will continue to work in a trilateral manner with the United States to maximize pressure on North Korea.
