Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono met with Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar in Tokyo on Thursday.

In the meeting, Kono said the international community must be united in dealing with North Korea. He stressed the necessity of maximizing pressure on the North in various areas, including the implementation of UN Security Council sanctions.

They agreed to work together to boost pressure on the country after the PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympics now under way in South Korea.

Kono asked for Mongolia's support to resolve the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea. He also said Mongolia should swiftly implement the austerity measures necessary to receive financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund and others.

Tsogtbaatar met with Kim Yong Nam, the president of North Korea's Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, in North Korea earlier this month.