U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday reaffirmed the need to keep sanctions on North Korea to achieve its denuclearization.

In a joint news conference after talks in Tokyo, Pence said that the U.S. will continue to put diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea, adding sanctions will remain in force until it achieves the final, fully verified denuclearization of the regime. 

Abe said that Pence and he agreed on the need for continued, full enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions for the North's complete denuclearization. 

The two sides also agreed to work together to respond to North Korea's illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Pacific.