Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed Monday to take "further actions" to deter North Korea just days after the isolated nation successfully tested a powerful long-range missile, Japanese officials said.
"Under the strong Japan-U.S. bond, we will take concrete actions to enhance our defense capabilities and do all we can to ensure that the public is safe from the North Korean threat," Abe told reporters after an unusually long, 52-minute teleconference with Trump.
"We highly value the commitment by Mr. Trump to take all necessary steps to protect allied countries" from North Korea's growing missile threat, he added.