TOKYO, March 9 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday he confirmed in telephone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump that the international community needed to continue to put maximum pressure on North Korea. Despite the apparent recent detente, Abe said Japan’s position was unchanged: “North Korea has to show concrete actions toward denuclearization by committing to abandon its nuclear program via complete, verifiable and irreversible means.”

Abe said he was looking forward to a briefing from a South Korean envoy about his talks with the North when the envoy visits Japan next week.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe says inter-Korea talks could be a "meaningless" ploy by North Korea.