US, Japan urge China to pressurise N Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions

TIL Desk/World/Tokyo/ Ministers from Japan and the United States on Tuesday reiterated their opposition to North Korea’s weapons programme and urged China to pressurise the Kim Jong-un-led regime to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon met the Japanese National Security Advisor, Shotaro Yachi, after which he said that North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests are a global threat.

Shannon said that both countries have agreed to urge China and the international community to convince Pyongyang that its nuclear programmes “do not create any hopeful path to the future”.

“We underscored the important role that China can play in this process, and also the important role that the UN Security Council and other organisations within the international community can play in bringing this message home to North Korea loud and clear,” Shannon added.