Tokyo, Safar 11, 1439, October 31, 2017, SPA -- Japanese Prime Minister Ghinzo Abe and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg agreed on Tuesday to increase international pressure on North Korea in an attempt to end Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats, according to dpa. In a joint news conference Abe said: It is necessary to raise pressure to the maximum, rather than dialogue, to force North Korea to abandon all its nuclear and missile programmes,'' For his part, Secretary General Stoltenberg said: ''Prime Minster Abe and I agree that strong international pressure is required to induce Pyongyang to take a responsible path in order to find a peaceful solution.'' During his four-day visit to Japan, Stoltenberg also held talks with Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera on Monday. He will travel to the Republic of Korea on Wednesday. --SPA 14:22 LOCAL TIME 11:22 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w524714