Trump, Abe Speak on the Phone Again

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke on the telephone with U.S. President Donald Trump for the second day on Thursday night to discuss the North Korean threat.

Abe’s office said the two leaders spoke for about half an hour. Afterwards Abe told reporters, "I cannot tell you about our forthcoming response to North Korea, but we have just completely agreed on it."

Abe and Trump have spoken on the phone 10 times so far, making Abe the rare example of an international leader who gets on with the erratic president.

Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun daily said Tokyo's goal is to convince the UN Security Council to agree additional sanctions against North Korea, including a ban on crude oil supplies, and Trump has agreed.

The UNSC has agreed eight sets of sanctions against North Korea since it conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, but attempts to cut off crude oil supplies have always floundered on opposition from Beijing and Moscow, which have a veto.

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