Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Saturday in Germany as they seek to overcome years of rocky ties to better handle the military threat from North Korea.
The leaders agreed to enhance talks and exchanges and continue to put pressure on the hermit regime in Pyongyang, according to a senior government official who briefed reporters. It was their first formal discussion in 10 months, and took place on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg.
Abe invited Xi to visit Japan next year and said he hoped to host a long-overdue trilateral summit with South Korea, the official said.