Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok on Thursday, with a territorial row usually at the center of such talks likely sidelined by tensions over North Korea.
Abe hopes to win Moscow's support in strengthening pressure on North Korea through stricter U.N. Security Council sanctions following Pyongyang's nuclear test Sunday — its sixth and most powerful to date.
Through repeated telephone talks, Abe has agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in to "maximize" pressure on North Korea. "Japan will take the lead to strengthen pressure on North Korea with the international community," Abe told a meeting of his Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday.