Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed Wednesday they will continue to work together toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

During their phone talks, Abe and Trump discussed the latest situation surrounding North Korea and coordinated their policies in dealing with the country, Abe told reporters.

The telephone conversation comes ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's expected visit to Pyongyang, which would be his fourth, as Washington has been trying to push North Korea into taking concrete action to achieve the denuclearization goal.

Abe also said he was reassured by Trump that Washington will provide support to Tokyo in resolving the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. The Japanese prime minister has described the resolution as one of his administration's top priorities.

The prime minister reiterated Japan's readiness to work together with the United States, South Korean, China and Russia to end North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs and settle the abduction issue.

Trump held a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore, in which Kim promised to work toward the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

But bilateral negotiations over the issue have not proceeded smoothly since then as Pyongyang has yet to take concrete steps toward the goal, raising doubts about Kim's seriousness to give up his country's nuclear weapons.

In the latest move, Trump said in an interview with Reuters news agency on Monday he would "most likely" meet again with Kim, without offering details on the timing and venue.

Abe is also seeking to hold a summit with Kim to achieve a breakthrough in settling the long-standing abduction issue.