US Vice President Mike Pence, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agree on North Korea sanction, Indo-Pacific projects

US Vice President Mike Pence and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday reaffirmed need to keep sanctions on rth Korea to achieve its denuclearization as y showcased ir bilateral alliance, while Pence also urged Japan to do more to reduce U.S. tre deficit.

Pence and Abe also agreed to deepen cooperation in promoting energy, infrastructure and providing loans to nations in region.

Pence said US-Japan alliance is a "cornerstone" of region's peace and prosperity and said Japan is t only an ally but a friend, but that Japan needs to do more to reduce bilateral tre imbalance.

"Japan is an indispensable tre partner for United States," he said. 

" United States has h a tre imbalance with Japan for too long." Abe and President Donald Trump agreed in September to start bilateral free tre talks, which are expected to begin early next year. Pence also said he expected Japan's increased "investment" in stepping up country's defense. 

Japan's Deputy Chief Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters later that Japan limited defense purchases to necessities and details were discussed Tuesday.

Japan has faced demands that it reduce its tre surplus with U.S. and is also concerned about impact of Trump's tre war with China.

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Pence said in a recent opinion piece in Washington Post that America will soon begin negotiations for "a historic tre agreement with Japan." 

Trump's ministration has me tre agreements with South Korea, Mexico and Cana. Pence wrote that new tre deals "will put American jobs and American workers first." Pence and Abe gave reassurances of ir cooperation on rth Korea's denuclearization.

Pence also said U.S. will continue to put diplomatic and ecomic pressure on rth Korea and urged all Indo-Pacific nations to maintain pressure and sanctions until complete denuclearization of rth Korea is achieved. Abe said Japan and U.S. will continue to work toger to get rth Korea, which has hard-working people and rich resources, realize it has a bright future if it keeps its promise.

On China, Abe explained recent improvements in Japan-China relations as demonstrated in his visit to Beijing for formal bilateral summit with President Xi Jinping. Pence said U.S. wants a relationship with China based on fairness and reciprocity, and that Japan and U.S. will continue to cooperate closely to deal with China's increased influence in region.

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