US, Japan agree China should play larger role on North Korea

TOKYO: US Vice President Mike Pence and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed on Tuesday that the two countries need to persuade China to play a larger role in dealing with North Korea, a Japanese government spokesman said.

The two confirmed during a working lunch that China's role was important in dealing with North Korea, and they needed to work on China to take on a bigger role, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda told reporters.

North Korea has conducted a series of ballistic missile launches in recent months in defiance of UN sanctions and concerns have been growing that the reclusive state could soon conduct a sixth nuclear test.

With a US aircraft carrier group steaming to the area in a show of force, fears of a confrontation have been rising.