Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in telephone talks Wednesday night to continue to put pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs.

Abe told reporters after the conversation — which lasted more than an hour — that he and Trump affirmed they will maintain the pressure until North Korea seeks dialogue on the basis of giving up its nuclear program.

"Dialogue for the sake of dialogue would be meaningless," Abe said. "We talked thoroughly about what we should do from here on to make the denuclearization of North Korea a reality."