Abe, Trump to discuss N. Korea threats over phone

August 14, 2017

WASHINGTON- US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold telephone talks on Monday evening to discuss how to deal with North Korea's escalating provocations, including its plan to fire ballistic missiles toward Guam, according to the White House.

After temporarily returning to the White House from his summer vacation in New Jersey, Trump will go to his hometown of New York on Monday for the first time since he took office in January.

He plans to hold a conference call with Abe from his home in the Trump Tower skyscraper, the White House said.

The telephone talks will follow similar discussions in late July.

Abe and Trump are expected to confirm the need to strengthen pressure on North Korea ahead of the so-called two-plus-two meeting of their countries' foreign and defense ministers in Washington on Thursday.

They are also expected to agree to call on China to work in step with Japan and the United States in urging the reclusive state to stop its provocations.

Last week, North Korea said it is considering a plan to fire four intermediate-range ballistic missiles simultaneously at areas around the US Pacific territory of Guam, which it said would travel over western Japan.

Tension is mounting between the United States and North Korea, after Trump posted a message on Twitter on Friday following North Korea's latest provocation, saying, "Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely."

Also on Friday, Trump held phone talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to China's Xinhua news agency, Xi called for the North Korean issue to be resolved through dialogue. Jiji Press