Trump speaks to Japan's PM, S Korea's President about North Korea

Washington: President Donald Trump spoke with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-In and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the upcoming Winter Olympics and the current situation in the Korean peninsula, the White House said today.

During yesterday's call, Trump wished Moon and the Korean people a successful Winter Olympic Games.

"The two leaders discussed the importance of improving the human rights situation in North Korea and underscored their commitment to work together on this issue," the White House said in a readout of the call.

Trump also reiterated his commitment to addressing the trade imbalance between the two countries, the White House said.

In his phone call with Abe, Trump thanked the Japanese prime minister for his country's efforts to maintain international pressure on North Korea, including recent efforts to clamp down on Pyongyang's attempts to circumvent sanctions in the waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

"Both leaders agreed on the need to intensify the international maximum pressure campaign to denuclearise North Korea," the White House statement said.

"The two leaders discussed the pending relocation of a US Marine base on Okinawa and discussed ways to strengthen Japan's defence capabilities including an expanded missile defense system," the statement said.