Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is also leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), attends a news conference at LDP headquarters in Tokyo, Japan October 23, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

TOKYO (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to work together on steps to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, ahead of the U.S. leader’s visit to Asia, the Japanese government said late on Monday.

In a 20-minute phone call, Trump and Abe discussed the schedule of the president’s coming visit, which includes a Nov. 5-7 stop in Japan, and agreed to remain in close contact over North Korea, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters.

Trump told Abe “he is looking forward to his visit to Japan, that Japan and America are 100 percent together and there is no room to doubt the Japan-U.S. alliance,” Nishimura said.

“They agreed to deepen their discussions on the North Korean situation and other matters” during Trump’s visit, he said.