Abe, Trump discuss Korean peninsula issue

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump on Tuesday agreed to work with the international community to prevent North Korea from launching missiles aimed at the US territory Guam.

Saying that the threat of the launch had raised regional tensions, Abe said the Japanese government would "continue to work closely with the US and South Korea, also with the international community, including China and Russia", Xinhua news agency reported.

"We will make utmost efforts to protect our citizens' lives by preparing for any possible situation. We'll maintain a high level of vigilance and our missile defence system under the strong Japan-US alliance," Abe said after his telephonic conversation with Trump.

The conversation between the two leaders took place following North Korea intimating it could fire missiles into waters off Guam in the western pacific.

Abe said fears had been stoked in Japan because the missiles' flight path could see them fly over at least four prefectures in Japan.

According to officials here, the two leaders also lauded fresh UN Security Council resolutions imposing stricter sanctions on North Korea.

Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera will this week hold a "two-plus-two" meeting in Washington with their US counterparts where security issues will likely top the agenda.

--IANS

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