New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English said Wednesday ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo that both countries "can and will" take a leading role in securing the future of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact following the withdrawal of the United States.

Speaking before business leaders in the capital, English said Japan and New Zealand are "committed to progressing a TPP agreement because we believe it's in our region's interest, it's in the interest of our countries and it's in the interest of global stability."

The Abe administration has not explicitly come out in favor of bringing the wide-ranging pact into force without the United States, keeping hope alive that Washington may come back on board in the future.