Abe, Pence reaffirm cooperation toward nuclear-free N. Korea
During their meeting in Tokyo, Abe and Pence also confirmed their cooperation in the denuclearization of North Korea.
The Japanese premier and U.S. vice president agreed to "expand further bilateral trade and investment beneficial to both countries," Abe said in a joint press conference after the meeting.
Pence called for a bilateral pact on trade in goods and services, which he claimed will be an exemplary deal for the Indo-Pacific region.
The United States has had a trade imbalance with Japan for "too long" and American products and services "too often" face barriers to compete fairly in Japan, Pence said.
"The best opportunity for free, fair and reciprocal trade will come in bilateral trade agreement," the vice president said.
Negotiations for such a bilateral trade agreement, which Abe and Trump agreed to launch in September, are scheduled to start in mid-January.
The meeting comes at a time when speculation is growing in Japan that Trump will adopt a tougher stance on the Asian country over trade following the midterm elections last week.
At a press conference a day after the elections, Trump said Japan is not treating the United States fairly on trade.
Pence arrived in Tokyo on Monday evening as part of his Asian and Oceanian tour to attend annual regional summits later this week on behalf of President Donald Trump.
Abe said he and Pence confirmed the need to "completely" implement U.N. resolutions on North Korea to have it abandon its nuclear and missile programs.
The prime minister also said they agreed to cooperate in settling the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North in the 1970s and 1980s, with Trump planning to have a second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, following their first one in Singapore in June.
Abe and Pence reaffirmed their cooperation toward realizing a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region, a vision advocated by the Japanese leader and then backed by the United States.
In the press conference, Pence described the U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific region as "steadfast and enduring."
Abe said he and Pence discussed bilateral cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, energy and digitalization in the region. They confirmed their further cooperation with Australia, India and Southeast Asian nations to promote their joint efforts.
Prior to the meeting with Abe, Pence met with his counterpart Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, who doubles as finance minister, in the prime minister's office.
Abe and Pence are scheduled to attend annual meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Papua New Guinea.