U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council(UNSC) resolutions.

In a joint statement following a meeting in Washington on Wednesday, the leaders strongly condemned the North's continued development of its ballistic missile program, which they said poses a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

At a joint press conference after the summit, the Japanese leader said he and his U.S. counterpart agreed to continue working closely with South Korea in dealing with the North.

[Sound bite: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Japanese/English Translation)]
"First of all, if I may start. Regarding my summit meeting with President Biden about North Korea, including the missile and nuclear issues we have discussed and regarding the increasingly worrying situation. We have agreed to continue a close coordination. And on top of that, though, we concurred that the window of a discussion with North Korea is open. And we discussed that Japan, the U.S., and the Republic of Korea will continue to work closely together."

Biden, for his part, welcomed Kishida's push to set up a bilateral summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to address the issue of Japanese abductees in the communist regime.

[Sound bite: US President Joe Biden]
"We both agree the DPRK must also address the serious human rights and humanitarian concerns of the international community, including the immediate resolution of the abduction issue. You know, the prime minister has just spoken to the potential, what his plans may mean. Welcome, I welcome the opportunity, we welcome the opportunity for our allies to initiate dialogue with the Democratic Republic of Korea."

Calling on Pyongyang to respond to the two allies' continued offers to return to diplomacy without preconditions, the leaders urged all UN member states to fully implement all relevant UNSC resolutions.