Prime Minister Shinzo Abe answers questions from reporters on Aug. 29 after a 40-minute phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Takeshi Iwashita)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged Japan’s allies to ratchet up the pressure on North Korea, describing Pyongyang’s ballistic missile launch that flew over Hokkaido on Aug. 29 as an “unprecedentedly grave and serious threat.”