Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to closely cooperate on threats from North Korea during a 30-minute telephone conversation Friday, a Japanese official who briefed reporters said.
The leaders also briefly exchanged opinions on thorny historical issues involving forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, the official said.
Abe explained Japan's basic position on the issue, emphasizing that the two countries should "properly manage" sensitive issues to build "a future-oriented" relationship, the official said.