Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Saturday with the leaders of Canada, France and Germany to cooperate in efforts to contain the security threat posed by North Korea, hours after Pyongyang again launched what appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles.
During their meeting in the French coastal city of Biarritz, Abe and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed that they will "work closely" to tackle several issues including the denuclearization of North Korea, a Japanese government official said.
In respective talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Abe and his counterparts affirmed that the international community should fully implement U.N. resolutions aimed at thwarting North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.
Abe held the three bilateral talks before the Group of Seven summit began Saturday evening.
Earlier Saturday, Pyongyang launched two unidentified projectiles into the Sea of Japan. Tokyo said the objects were believed to be short-range ballistic missiles. It was North Korea's seventh round of such launches since July 25.
U.N. Security Council resolutions have banned North Korea from using ballistic technology.
Merkel and Trudeau shared the view with Abe that it is important to maintain sanctions on Pyongyang to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, other Japanese officials said.
Abe, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to Trudeau for his condolence message to victims of a deadly arson attack in July against a studio of Kyoto Animation Co., known as "KyoAni" in Japan, which has produced popular TV animation series.
Trudeau said in his Twitter post following the incident, "Canadians send our deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the arson attack in Kyoto that has taken so many innocent lives. To the people of Japan — we're mourning these tragic losses with you, and wishing a quick recovery to everyone who was injured."
