Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed during a telephone conversation Saturday to hold face-to-face talks on Feb. 10 and affirmed the importance of bilateral ties, the Japanese and U.S. governments said.

The leaders "affirmed in our phone conversation the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance in economic and security challenges," Abe told reporters after the call.

And Trump "affirmed the ironclad U.S. commitment to ensuring the security of Japan," the White House press office said.