Trump, Abe to increase pressure on North Korea

Tokyo, Aug 29: US President Dold Trump and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have vowed to increase pressure on North Korea after the Pyongyang regime launched a missile over Japan on Tuesday morning. Abe denounced the launch as an “unprecedented and grave threat” to the country’s security, The Guardian reported. During a 40-minute phone call between Abe and the US President, both leaders agreed to call for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation.

Officials in South Korea said the missile may have flown further than any other tested by North Korea. The test, one of the most provocative so far from the reclusive state, sent a clear message to Washington just weeks after Kim Jong-un threatened to target the US Pacific territory of Guam with similar intermediate-range missiles. It also demonstrated the regime’s willingness to raise the diplomatic stakes by sending a missile directly over Japanese territory. Pyongyang has tested more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) this year, but Tuesday’s launch followed a much flatter trajectory than those tests. Trump said the US was “100 per cent with Japan” and repeated his strong commitment to the defence of Japan, Abe said shortly after the call.  (IANS)