Abe, Pence Reaffirm Stance of Keeping Up Pressure on N. Korea

Tokyo, Feb. 7 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, at a meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday, underscored the importance of continuing to pressure North Korea. They reaffirmed the tough stance of Tokyo and Washington against Pyongyang before having talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whose reconciliatory attitude toward the North has stood out recently. Abe and Pence are set to attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Friday. During their visits to South Korea, they will hold separate meetings with Moon. "We agreed that we shouldn't be fooled by North Korea's 'smile diplomacy,'" Abe told a joint press conference following the meeting with Pence. The vice president said the United States will not allow North Korea to cover its nuclear ambitions under the banner of the Olympics. Washington will soon announce the largest-scale, most powerful sanctions against North Korea, he said. "I hope to highlight the unwavering solid cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea," Abe stressed. During the meeting, Abe and Pence exchanged opinions on a series of accidents caused by U.S. military aircraft in Okinawa Prefecture and found it important to operate such aircraft safely. They also agreed to draw up details promptly for bilateral cooperation under the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy while sharing concern over China's maritime expansion. END