Jul 05, 2017 (the-japan-news.com) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to call on world leaders to pressure North Korea at the upcoming Group of 20 summit in Germany, following the reclusive country's ballistic missile launch on Tuesday.
The government is assessing the possibility that the latest missile flew on a "lofted trajectory," meaning it would have been launched at a wider angle than usual. The government is raising its alert level, believing the trajectory indicates progress in North Korea's missile technology.
Abe plans to hold a trilateral meeting with leaders of the United States and South Korea on the sidelines of the G-20 summit to be held Friday and Saturday.
"I will work to strengthen the pressure of the international community [on North Korea] under the firm unity of Japan, the United States and South Korea," Abe told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
"World leaders will gather at the G-20 [summit meeting]. I want to take the opportunity to strongly call for the unity of the international community over the North Korea issue," Abe added.
At the trilateral summit meeting of Japan, the United States and South Korea, the leaders of those nations will likely affirm the view that continuing to impose pressure is more important than dialogue under the current situation, in which North Korea is repeatedly taking provocative actions. Abe is expected to urge South Korean President Moon Jae In, who has taken a conciliatory approach toward North Korea, to refrain from easy compromises.
