Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed Thursday to seek a new U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing tougher sanctions against North Korea, in response to Pyongyang's latest nuclear test conducted in defiance of international opposition.
Abe told Obama on the telephone that the Tuesday test has "seriously undermined peace and stability in the international community," and expressed hope of obtaining support for a new resolution from China, which has close ties with North Korea and is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, a Japanese official said.
Abe and Obama also agreed that Japan, the United States and South Korea should work closely in dealing with North Korean issues, the official said.