The White House says that U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have pledged to maintain strong sanctions against North Korea. 

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a news briefing that the two leaders made the pledge in a telephone conversation on Wednesday. 

The press secretary said that Trump and Abe expressed hope to meet again at the UN General Assembly in September and agreed to continue dialogue with their allies. 

Japan's Kyodo News said that the two leaders appear to have exchanged opinions on the North's missiles and nuclear weapons. It also speculated the two held talks to coordinate their future responses ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's expected visit to North Korea.

[Photo : YONHAP News]