President Barack Obama pressed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month to improve ties with South Korea, sources familiar with U.S.-Japan relations said Friday, reflecting Washington's dissatisfaction with the tepid progress in reconciliation.
Obama made the call during talks with Abe on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 economies in Brisbane, Australia, out of concern that lingering tension between the two U.S. security allies could be a drag on his policy of focusing on Asia, according to the sources.
Obama brokered a trilateral meeting with Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye in March in The Hague hoping the event would encourage the Asian leaders to have a one-on-one talk, but there have been few signs they moved closer to a summit.