White House: Trump Abe discuss exerting pressure on North Korea - Politico

Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe are pictured. | AP Photo — President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 10. | AP Photo

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President Donald Trump spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday to "discuss ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea," the White House announced soon after North Korea claimed to have inspected loading a hydrogen bomb onto an intercontinental missile.

“The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea,” the White House said in a readout of the call.

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Pyongyang's state media said late Saturday evening (EST) that it had investigated loading an H-bomb onto a new ICBM.

Leader Kim Jong Un has repeatedly defied condemnations and sanctions from the international community by continuing to experiment with and build his nation's weapons arsenal.

It is unclear whether the call between Abe and Trump came prior to or after North Korea's weapons claim was made.