U.S. Vice President Mike Pence signaled to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday a hardening of the U.S. stance on North Korea, stressing that while the United States and Japan both "seek peace always," that peace "comes through strength."

Abe and Pence agreed at a working lunch in Tokyo that they will urge China to play a greater role in preventing further provocation by North Korea, which has shown no signs of halting its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile development efforts.

"President Trump is determined to work closely with Japan, with South Korea, with all our allies in the region, and with China, to achieve a peaceable solution and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Pence told Abe at the outset of their lunch.

Abe hailed Pence's visit as "extremely timely given the severe state of the situation surrounding North Korea." The United States has deployed an aircraft carrier and accompanying vessels to waters near the Korean Peninsula amid indications North Korea is planning another nuclear test.

According to a Japanese official who was present at the lunch, Pence, whose president recently held a summit and telephone talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, told Abe the United States believes China fully understands the issue and will take action that will lead to further pressure on North Korea.

"Japan appreciates the way the administration (of U.S. President Donald Trump) is trying to deal with North Korea from the stance that all options are on the table," Abe told Pence. The Trump administration has said this includes the option of military action.

Abe and Pence affirmed that the threat from North Korea has reached a new level and it is crucial to regional peace and stability for Japan and the United States to strengthen their bilateral alliance.

The meeting came after North Korea showed off an array of weapons including missiles in a military parade Saturday before an unsuccessful ballistic missile test the following day.

"I say on (Trump's) behalf today to all the people of Japan, in these challenging times, we are with you 100 percent," Pence said at a subsequent press conference with Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso.

Pence and Aso, who doubles as finance minister, kicked off Tuesday a high-level bilateral economic dialogue aiming to explore further economic cooperation despite the Abe and Trump administrations' differing views on multilateral trade.

Aso told the press conference that in Japan-U.S. relations, "security and the economy are the two wheels of the cart."

At the press conference, Pence referred to the "regime in North Korea" as "the most ominous threat posing this region of the world."

He stressed that the United States remains open to all options, but favors applying diplomatic and economic pressure to North Korea through "dialogue among the family of nations."

Efforts at direct dialogue with Pyongyang have failed for "more than a generation," having been met only with "broken promises and more provocations," Pence said.

"That's why we've said the era of strategic patience is over," he said, referring to the doctrine advocated by Trump's predecessor Barack Obama in dealing with Pyongyang.

Abe and Pence did not cover the possibility of further dialogue with North Korea during their lunch, according to the Japanese official, with Abe saying that "dialogue for dialogue's sake is valueless" -- a remark Pence endorsed at the press conference.

Abe and Pence agreed to hold another "two-plus-two" ministerial-level security dialogue in the near future, the official said.

They also affirmed that Japan and the United States will continue to work together toward a resolution of the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.

Pence thanked Abe for his backing of the U.S. stance on Syria, according to the official. Abe has signaled support for the U.S. decision to launch a missile strike on a Syrian air base from where a chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians was allegedly originated earlier this month.

Abe and Pence held a small group meeting with key advisers after their lunch, but agreed not to make the contents public, the official said.

Pence arrived in Japan on Tuesday after visiting South Korea. He is set to tour the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan at the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base near Tokyo on Wednesday before leaving Japan to continue his first Asia-Pacific tour since taking office in January.