Japan PM Abe: Agree with Trump that North Korea must denuclearise

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe takes part in a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (not pictured) on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, April 28, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed completely on the need for North Korea to promptly denuclearise.

"Regarding our response to North Korea going forward, I completely agreed with President Trump in all respects," Abe told reporters after a phone call with the U.S. leader. "Going forward, the United States and Japan will respond together, completely agreeing with a singular understanding on responding together."

North Korea fired several "unidentified short-range projectiles" into the sea off its east coast on Saturday, prompting the South to urge its communist neighbour to "stop acts that escalate military tension on the Korean peninsula".

(Reporting by Takaya Yamaguchi; Writing by William Mallard; Editing by Peter Graff)