Declaring that North Korea is "a threat to the civilized world," President Donald Trump has vowed during his visit to Japan that the United States "will not stand" for Pyongyang menacing America or its allies.
Trump, in one of the Asian capitals threatened by North Korea's missiles, did not rule out military action and exhorted dictator Kim Jong Un to cease weapons testing.
The president also denounced efforts by the Obama administration to manage Pyongyang, declaring again that "the era of strategic patience is over."
"Some people say my rhetoric is very strong but look what has happened with very weak rhetoric in last 25 years," said Trump, who stood with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a news conference and stated that North Korea imperiled "international peace and stability."
Abe, who has taken a more hawkish view on North Korea than some of his predecessors, agreed with Trump's assessment that "all options on the table" when dealing with Kim Jong Un and announced new sanctions against several dozen North Korea individuals.
The two men also put a face on the threat posed by the North, earlier standing with anguished families of Japanese citizens snatched by Pyongyang's agents, as Trump called their abductions "a tremendous disgrace."
Trump and Abe repeatedly touted their bond over two days that included a round of golf, a hamburger with American beef and a couples' dinner at a teppanyaki restaurant.
"The relationship is really extraordinary. We like each other and our countries like each other," Trump said. "And I don't think we've ever been closer to Japan than we are right now."
But disagreements on trade could strain the friendship.
Trump complained Monday that Japan had been "winning" for decades and rebuked the current relationship, saying the trade deals were "not fair and not open."
He told a group of American and Japanese business leaders: the United States was open for business, but he wanted to reshape the nations' trade relationship, though he did not say how he would cut the trade deficit with Japan, which totalled nearly $US70 billion last year.
First Lady Melania Trump meanwhile took a lesson in Japanese calligraphy at a Tokyo elementary school.
The first lady visited the school on Monday with her Japanese counterpart, Akie Abe. About 300 children welcomed them with a school song and Melania Trump posed for photos, shook hands and slapped high fives with the kids.
