TOKYO (REUTERS) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump welcomed the inter-Korean summit as a positive move for denuclearisation and a "historical step" towards peace and stability in northeast Asia, Mr Abe's office said on Sunday (April 29).

The leaders of North and South Korea pledged at a historic summit last Friday to work for "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula.

However, Mr Trump said he would maintain pressure on Pyongyang through sanctions ahead of his own unprecedented meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Mr Abe and Mr Trump spoke on a 30-minute phone call on Saturday and also agreed on the importance of concrete steps towards denuclearisation by Pyongyang, the Japanese premier's office said in a statement.

"The important thing is whether North Korea will take specific actions in the future," Mr Abe told reporters late on Saturday, according to remarks released by his office.

Mr Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae In also agreed on the need for an early summit between Mr Trump and Mr Kim, which Mr Trump has said would take place over the next three to four weeks.