(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe expressed “total support” for President Donald Trump’s policy on
North Korea in a phone conversation between the two leaders, while stressing on the importance of avoiding provocations.There should also be a reliance on peaceful dialogue to achieve complete
denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, Abe told Trump in the call to discuss responses to the latest developments in North Korea, according to a statement from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The conversation that stretched on for more than an hour was initiated by the Trump administration. Both agreed to the need for even deeper cooperation in tackling the problems of
nuclear weapons and missiles in the region, as well as resolving the matter of kidnappings of Japanese citizens by North Korea.Abe plans to discuss the issues when he meets with Chinese President
Xi Jinping during his visit to
China this week.Abe’s show of support comes amid signs of fraying consensus on North Korea among members of the
United Nations Security Council, which had thus far remained united behind Trump’s maximum pressure campaign on the reclusive nation. A new proposal by China and
Russia to lessen the economic embargo on the hermit state is getting pushback in Washington.The proposal by North Korea’s historic allies said the changes were warranted because Kim Jong Un’s regime had complied with UN resolutions and needed “humanitarian and livelihood” relief.Trump Revives Threat of Force Against North Korea’s ‘Rocket Man’To contact the reporter on this story: Pavel Alpeyev in Tokyo at palpeyev@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Niluksi KoswanageFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.