TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday (November 21) welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to put North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, saying it would ramp up pressure on Pyongyang.
The designation came a week after Trump returned from a 12-day, five-nation trip to Asia in which he made containing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions a centerpiece of his discussions. It allows the United States to impose more sanctions on Pyongyang, which is pursuing nuclear weapons and missile programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions.
Abe said he welcomes and supports U.S. designation, which goes along with his policy to put maximum pressure on North Korea.
Japan and the U.S. agreed to raise pressure on North Korea during Trump’s visit to Japan earlier this month.