North Korea's ruling party newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, has lashed out at attempts by Tokyo to urge Washington to address its nuclear and missile programs at a planned U.S.-North Korea summit, calling the moves "desperate efforts" by a "trouble-maker creating only complexities" on Wednesday.

Amid fears of being left in the lurch on key issues that affect Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has worked to secure promises from U.S. President Donald Trump that he will push North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to give up not only its longer-range ballistic missiles, but also its short- and midrange weapons capable of striking the country.

He has also secured a promise from Trump that he will speak to Kim about the Japanese who were abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.